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http://www.legacy.com/ns/ernie-banks-obituary/173950783

Ernie Banks

May have been the best SS. Wait he played first base, didn't he? Knee injury limited his range and he made the shift. The numbers he threw up as a SS weren't approached for decades. Who knows if not injured and moving to 1B would his streak with eye popping numbers not continued.

Teams blew with rare exception. Never saw the post season but has no bearing on his legacy. A team game that is often defined by those who play every 4th day. Ernie always wanted to play 2 if not 3 a day.

Rare bird who was a superstar but didn't live like it.

Great man

God awful franchise

Great man in many ways. Dallas native who loved the game and knew the meaning and value of loyalty. He was the first black player on the Cubs. His high school, Booker T. Washington, didn't even offer baseball (schools here were segregated at the time). He played on the softball team. Also played basketball but would have excelled at any sport. He'll not soon be forgotten.

In 1969 Banks and Cubbies - Santo, Hundley, Williams, Beckert, Jenkins et al - were up nine games in NL-East in middle of August.

Manager Leo Durocher rode them and day games at Wrigley into the dust, finished eight games out. Lost something like 18 in September including an eight-game streak at beginning of the month when they started five ahead.

"Miracle Mets" won WS beating Earl Weaver's Orioles, who finished 19 games in front of defending champs Tigers, in five.

Early days of getting WGN and Cubs games called by Jack Brickhouse on Kalamazoo-area TV.

(01-24-2015 05:24 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  In 1969 Banks and Cubbies - Santo, Hundley, Williams, Beckert, Jenkins et al - were up nine games in NL-East in middle of August.

Manager Leo Durocher rode them and day games at Wrigley into the dust, finished eight games out. Lost something like 18 in September including an eight-game streak at beginning of the month when they started five ahead. "Miracle Mets" won WS beating Earl Weaver's Orioles, who finished 19 games in front of defending champs Tigers, in five.

Early days of getting WGN and Cubs games called by Jack Brickhouse on Kalamazoo-area TV.

Cubs had 3 very good starters but were on gas. Jenkins, Ken Holtzman and Bill Hands. Bull pen had Phil "the Vulture" Regan. He too threw so many innings he could untie his shoes with his pitching hand standing straight up.

That slide started with the NY Met series in Shea with the black cat running across the on deck circle while at bat.


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http...CAQMygCMAI

(01-24-2015 05:38 PM)gobaseline Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 05:24 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  In 1969 Banks and Cubbies - Santo, Hundley, Williams, Beckert, Jenkins et al - were up nine games in NL-East in middle of August.

Manager Leo Durocher rode them and day games at Wrigley into the dust, finished eight games out. Lost something like 18 in September including an eight-game streak at beginning of the month when they started five ahead. "Miracle Mets" won WS beating Earl Weaver's Orioles, who finished 19 games in front of defending champs Tigers, in five.

Early days of getting WGN and Cubs games called by Jack Brickhouse on Kalamazoo-area TV.

Cubs had 3 very good starters but were on gas. Jenkins, Ken Holtzman and Bill Hands. Bull pen had Phil "the Vulture" Regan. He too threw so many innings he could untie his shoes with his pitching hand standing straight up.

That slide started with the NY Met series in Shea with the black cat running across the on deck circle while at bat.

That Black Cat thing is TOO WEiRD. Only the Cubs.

"Amazin' Mets" also alluded to in "Men in Black 3."

(01-24-2015 03:20 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  Great man

God awful franchise

If you're counting championships won, it is a terrible franchise. But since the mid-80's (when Ryne Sandburg and others took the city by storm only to choke again against the Padres in 1984), they have been a very successful franchise financially. I grew up near Wrigley and in the mid 70's I used to get in every game free by flipping seats up at the end of the game. They were so bad, they closed off the upper deck during week day games and 5,000 was an average attendance, especially when school started in September. 2003 was the hardest to take. There is no way I thought they could choke the 6th game away.
I met Ernie several times after he retired, a very nice guy and always cheerful. Signed a ball for me which also had most of the 1972 Cubs team, but everyone handling it has made it mostly unreadable. Bottom line: Don't give a 10 year old kid a valuable item to take care of.