His work on and off the field led to his receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2013.These round, flat vinyl disks with spiral grooves have brought music to the ears of listeners around the world for more than a century. Baseball was not the first thing he would talk about,” the attorney said. “He wanted to know all about people’s lives. “Banks is one nice guy who finished first – but he had the talent to go with it,” Durocher said.Īnd this from sportswriter Arthur Daley: “He rejoices merely in living, and baseball is a marvelous extra that makes his existence so much more pleasurable.”īogen, the family lawyer, said that Banks “would go right up to people and ask about their families and how they were doing rather than baseball.” Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher, who was known for saying “Nice guys finish last,” made an exception for Banks. The Wrigley Field marquee pays tribute to Mr. It’s no wonder, then, that he was voted the “Greatest Cub Ever” in a 1969 Chicago Sun-Times fan poll. ‘Nice guys finish last’ – except for Banks The accomplishments piled up through Banks’ retirement after the 1971 season: 2,583 hits, 11 National League All-Star selections, two of the league’s Most Valuable Player awards, and 512 home runs, including five seasons hitting more than 40 homers.Īnd in 1977, six years after his last at-bat, Banks was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. “And each time he was knocked down,” Gorman said, “Banks hit their next pitch out of the park.” Late umpire Tom Gorman once recalled that in 1957, pitchers Don Drysdale, Bob Purkey, Bob Friend and Jack Sanford knocked down Banks with pitches, according to a story on the Cubs’ website. (He hit 47 homers three years later, still a National League record for the position.)īanks kept it up as his career rolled along. His 44 home runs that season were at the time the most ever for a shortstop. He became Chicago’s starting shortstop the next year, then had his real breakthrough in 1955 when he racked up 117 RBIs. 314 in the 10 games he played in that first season. Encina January 24, 2015Īfter the Monarchs sold his contract to the Cubs, Banks jumped straight to the Major Leagues – hitting. That happened three years after the Dallas native started his professional career in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs, then spent two years in the Army.Ī scouting report on Ernie Banks from his days w/ the KC Monarchs, from the scout exhibit. He became the Chicago franchise’s first black player in 1953. In fact, the last time the Cubs won baseball’s ultimate prize was 1908.īut you’d never know it from Banks’ omnipresent smile.įrom the Negro Leagues to the Major League That message alluded to the fact that Banks, despite all his stellar play over his career, never earned a World Series ring. RIP Ernie Banks.- john kilmer January 24, 2015 He's with the Angels now and hopefully he'll get a ring. “He’s with the Angels now and hopefully he’ll get a ring.” Cub will play 2 today,” wrote another man. One person tweeted that, like the recently departed Stan Musial, Banks was “never too big for fans.” But not one of them showed him in a negative way. I've heard a lot of Ernie banks stories in my life, a lot. But not one of them showed him in a negative way.” ![]() This sentiment was evident on social media, with one man writing, “I’ve heard a lot of Ernie Banks stories in my life, a lot. Post has been removed or is no longer public.Įmanuel said, “He loved this city as much as he loved – and lived for – the game of baseball.”Īnd baseball loved him back – not just for the player he was, but the man he was. The Windy City’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, called him “one of Chicago’s greatest ambassadors.” The thing is, Banks wasn’t just a great baseball player, but a great champion for his sport and adopted city. Cub’ Ernie Banks, an elegant ambassador and all-time great “Approachable, ever optimistic and kindhearted, Ernie Banks is and always will be Mr. And more importantly, he was the warmest and most sincere person I’ve ever known.” “… He was a pioneer in the major leagues. “Words cannot express how important Ernie Banks will always be to the Chicago Cubs, the city of Chicago and Major League Baseball,” Ricketts said. The former Negro League upstart turned Cubs legend turned favorite son of Chicago died Friday of a heart attack in the Illinois city, family attorney Mark Bogen said.Ī public memorial will be scheduled, Bogen said.Ĭubs Chairman Tom Ricketts described Banks as “one of the greatest players of all time.” ![]() The next time Ernie Banks plays two – something he enjoyed, feeling one baseball game a day wasn’t enough – it will be in the diamond in the sky.
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