MESA, ARIZ. ? Ron Santo plans to hold off on any early Hall of Fame celebration.

Santo is hoping to hear good news today when the Hall’s Veterans Committee announces its vote. The late Gil Hodges and Roger Maris also were on the ballot, along with old-time pitchers Smoky Joe Wood and Carl Mays.

In 2003, Santo threw a big party at his home near Phoenix right before the Vets’ decision day. Needing 75 percent for election, the former Chicago Cubs standout third baseman fell short with 56.8 percent.

“I feel the same way I did two years ago, hoping I get in,” Santo said this week during a visit to the Cubs’ training camp.

Joe Torre, Tony Oliva and Luis Tiant also were among the 25 players on the ballot. Reconfigured to include mostly Hall of Famers, the Veterans Committee did not pick anyone in 2005.

Torre hit .297 with 252 homers and 1,185 RBIs over a career that spanned 2,209 games. While never making a postseason appearance as a player, he has won four World Series titles and six AL pennants since 1996 as the New York Yankees’ manager.

“People inform me that with the voting, it’s based on my playing career,” he said Tuesday at the Yankees’ camp in Tampa, Fla. “I haven’t gotten in yet on my playing career.”

“Let’s admit it, if I wasn’t the manager here, we wouldn’t be having this conversion,” he said.