OT- Cubs legend Ernie Banks passed away

Submitted by madmaxweb on
Tonight, January 23, Mr. Cub and Cubs Legend has passed away. This is a sad day for baseball fans no matter who you root for. RIP Ernie and hope you get to play two many more times.

superstringer

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:04 PM ^

lifelong Cubs fan, just not old enough to have seen him play. but he always struck me as a happy, nice guy. i dont have a single negative thought about him. a real humanitarian and just a positive presence. RIP. *sad face*



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ckersh74

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:08 PM ^

I posted this on another site, but it applies here, too:

 

That's a big one there. 
There's a lot of big names around MLB that are either pushing 80, or well into their 80's that we're going to lose pretty soon. Al Kaline is 79, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Whitey Ford are in their 80's, and Yogi is going to be 90 this year. Bobby Doerr is 95 now, and he's the last living ball player who played in MLB in the 30's.

Joined: 06/30/2008

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DonAZ

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:09 PM ^

These are the moments that make us pause and reflect.

It's like the day Ernie Harwell died.  A part of my childhood -- wrapped up in warm summer nights listening to Harwell on my AM radio -- went with him.

As I get older I become more sensitive to these milestone moments.  It's part of getting older, I assume.  Still, these things are poignant reminders of chrerished memories.

Joined: 12/05/2011

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umchicago

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:57 PM ^

with today's short attention spans, hundreds of tv channels, the internet and free agency, it's hard to find the loyalty to players/personalities like yester years.

i find it difficult to even watch a game on tv in its entirety anymore w/o flipping channels.  luckily i am able to attend 15-20 games here in wrigley field and a handful of others at comiskey (ya i call it comiskey), especially when the tigers are in town.

xm radio does allow me to listen to the occasion baseball game while driving to/from michigan in the summer...and missing ernie harwell.

Joined: 02/05/2009

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cheesheadwolverine

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:11 PM ^

In addition to being a great ballplayer, he was the first black Cub. And I would like to point everyone who ever tells me sports don't matter to the late 40s and early 50s for an example of how powerful they can be.

/politics

Joined: 10/25/2008

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@farmblue4

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:12 PM ^

Very sad, he was a great man along with his pal Ron Santo. Two hall of famers who never seen a championship. Give due respects, and thanks we have Harbaugh, Belien and their elite staff. RIP Ernie.

Joined: 01/23/2015

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Chitown Kev

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^

the fairweatherest of Cubs fans (it's hard to avoid when you've lived on the north side for over 20 years), this is really sad news. Banks was a great representative of the Cubs and for MLB.

Joined: 10/01/2011

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stetgor

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:32 PM ^

at my dentist's office down on Wacker.  To be honest, I was introduced to him only as Ernie and didn't realize who it was.  We talked for awhile  and he was just a kind and respectful man.  When I told him I was originally from Detroit, he couldn't stop talking about Al Kaline.  It didn't seem as if they knew each other, he was just a fan.  

I always liked him, but after that, I liked him a little more.

RIP Mr. Banks.

Joined: 03/27/2011

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Amaizin' Blue

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:36 PM ^

Great ball player and great ambassador for the game. I will never forget seeing him come out on stage at midnight after a rain delay at Pearl Jam's Wrigley Field show. Guy was a class act!

Joined: 11/20/2014

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RobM_24

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:36 PM ^

Banks is one Cubs Legend that had absolutely no baggage. He deserved his Hall of Fame status, he bled Cubbie Blue, he had no drama surrounding him, and he genuinely loved the game.

Joined: 01/27/2014

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AlwaysBlue

January 24th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^

when baseball was the national pastime. I didn't see Banks play but he was part of the conversations growing up, part of a history that guys like Harwell bridged for new generations of fans. With the passing of Banks we lose another thread.

Joined: 11/23/2008

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RobM_24

January 24th, 2015 at 12:18 AM ^

His name will be right there with the others that achieved the "Legends Never Die" level of greatness -- Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams, etc...

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BlueMichigan

January 24th, 2015 at 12:46 AM ^

Ernie Banks was great with his fans as well He used to hang out in retirement at the Woodley golf course "clubhouse " in the Los Angeles area and was always friendly to his well wishers unlike players I have met like Peter Rose and Reggie Jackson who were more concerned about making dollars for themselves than being genuinely friendly with the fans.

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MikeCohodes

January 24th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^

Ernie was a legend & a super nice guy. I met him once when I was a kid. I was at a game at Wrigley in the 80s, & before the game they had a veterans game with many retired players including Banks participating. Afterwards he went up into the stands to take his seat, which was coincidentally in the section I was in that day. Despite him getting swarmed by many autograph seekers, including myself, he was gracious & kind, signing things for all of us. I still have the score card he signed for me, framed & hanging on the wall of my office. He was a classy guy & will be missed by all in Wrigleyville. I hope he's playing 2 with Santo right now.

Joined: 08/28/2012

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softshoes

January 24th, 2015 at 2:29 AM ^

His last year playing was the only time I've ever been to Wrigley. Great loss for baseball. He hit over 500 homers back in a time when I could name them all. 512, one more than the equally great Mel Ott. RIP Ernie.

Joined: 09/09/2010

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chatster

January 24th, 2015 at 4:08 AM ^

I'm an old-time baseball fan and "child of the fifties."  Where I grew up, from April through September, we were obsessed with "Willie, Mickey and The Duke."  "The Say Hey Kid," Willie Mays, and the Giants were my favorites.  

Though I wasn't a Cubs fan, I always liked and respected "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks.  Sad news for those who loved him.

Nice that he lived long enough to have participated in last season’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field.
 
In the year before he died of leukemia in 1984, four days before his beloved Cubs had clinched their first post-season appearance since 1945, singer-songwriter Steve Goodman, best known for writing the Grammy Award winning song “City of New Orleans” – as well as having been a high school classmate of Hillary Rodham Clinton – wrote and recorded “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request.”  The news of Ernie Banks’ passing made me think of a line in that song:
 
“It’s a beautiful day for a funeral; Hey Ernie, let’s play two!”

Joined: 09/14/2010

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madmaxweb

January 24th, 2015 at 4:56 AM ^

Sadly I am way too young to have had the opportunity to see Banks play I still feel a connection with him like so many other Cub fans, and baseball fans. I remember listening to my Grandma talk about stories of watching him play and how fun it was to watch all of those guys play back in the day. Her favorite player was Ernie by far and while she was asleep when the news broke I am sad that I'll be calling her in the morning to inform her of his passing and how that will feel. He was a true legend on and off the field, I've heard so many stories of Ernie sitting around and signing every ball he could because he loved to do it, not because he had to. The baseball world lost a great legend in the game, but the world as a whole also lost a great man. For everything he accomplished on the field, what he did off it is truly amazing. Today's players should strive to be even half the man Ernie was. He was truly a HOF in baseball and a HOF in life. May he rest in peace and, once again, play two.

Joined: 02/21/2012

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CoverZero

January 24th, 2015 at 5:13 AM ^

I am 45 now.  Not a day goes by that I dont marvel at how quickly the past 20 years has gone by.  It has blown by at a rate that I simply can not comprehend.  I looked up and all of a sudden Im 45.  I can probably speak for a lot of you guys my age, in that I still feel and look pretty young...but damned if 45 doesnt sound pretty old... and 50 is right around the corner.  50.  Imagine that. 

Life is short.  I guess Im in a mid life crisis.. and finally understand what that term means.  Its not about buying a sports car and cruising bars for 25 year old chicks...no... the mid life crisis is realizing how quickly time is flying by.  It seems to accelerate every year for some reason.  When i was 12, the days seemed to last forever...and I remember 12 like it was yesterday.

The midlife crisis is about understanding how quickly time passes, how much we still want to accomplish before we reach old age.  It puts daunting tasks in front of us, and gives us a choice of how much we want to sacrifice in order to achieve our lives dreams and goals.  Personally speaking, it has been a major wake up call. Im willing and excited to sacrifice it all on my new business opportunity, and so far its all be a great experience.

I only say this because I know there are many 20 somethings on this board... to which my advice is to enjoy what you can now, but understand that the next 20 years will blow by extremely quickly....far more quickly that you can ever realize.  By then you will be 45 and in a similar position to where I am... and I will be 65, enjoying life in my swiss chateau with my 38 year old wife.  :)

We live in an amazing time...where information can be found within seconds... we are constantly bombarded with stimulation.  The people that succeed in the next 20 years, not only financially, but in life fulfillment...will be the ones that can channel intelligence and reconcile it with emotional intelligence and use discipline to sort out where they should put their minds and efforts.

 

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AnklePick

January 24th, 2015 at 7:57 AM ^

Im 29 and starting to feel some of that. I was JUST 16 man, crazy. New father of an 8 month old and he has really brought a new perspective on enjoying and maximizing my time with him. As a coach I struggle with time with my teams vs time with my family. I have scaled back to one sport, wrestling, to make for more family tim this last year. Thanks for the reminder and perspective.

Joined: 12/02/2014

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Cowboy Cody

January 24th, 2015 at 8:23 AM ^

As a 62 year old, I concur with what you said. Life flies by like the blink of an eye. Enjoy it while it's still there to enjoy. It's a most wonderful gift. However, I want to know when the Swiss life with the hot chick begins. Asking for a friend. :)

Joined: 05/30/2013

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m1817

January 24th, 2015 at 8:58 AM ^

It really hits home when you go back to campus and realize that most of the people there weren't even born when you graduated.

It's even more humbling when you look at the admissions statistics and wonder if you would be admitted with your HS SAT scores and grades.

Joined: 01/15/2011

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harmon40

January 24th, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^

and still can't believe I am saying things like "of course, that was 30 years ago..."

Want to feel really old? Check out the YouTube videos titled "Kids React to Technology." See modern kids trying figure out how to work rotary phones, film cameras, Walkmans...

Joined: 05/02/2009

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True Blue Grit

January 24th, 2015 at 7:27 AM ^

But I have no specific memories of seeing him play.  But I do know how great of a player and person he was.  Growing up in the Detroit area we never saw the Cubs come into town.  But I think I'll have to pull out my old 1970 baseball card of Ernie and hoist one in his honor later.  RIP Ernie.

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