SALT LAKE CITY— It’s all Ernie Banks’ fault.
I blame Banks for my life-long affinity for the Chicago Cubs baseball team, something that has brought happy moments but mostly frustrating ones over the past five decades. If Ernie hadn’t been such a nice guy and great player, I may have saved myself a lot of grief following the Cubs year after year.
As anyone who follows the sports world knows, Mr. Cub, No. 14, passed away Friday at the age of 83.
I’ve had just a few sports heroes in my life, but Ernie tops the list. How could you not root for someone like Ernie, who always had a smile and was a darn good player besides.
I’m not a collector of sports uniforms, but the one jersey I do have hanging in my closet is a white jersey with blue pinstripes, a big “C” on the front and a number 14 on the back.
It all started when I was 5 years old, at spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona, with my family, where we saw a couple of Cubs exhibition games. Somehow my father, who was famous for doing things like this, arranged for a photo with Ernie, my older brother, Dan, and me. I still have the framed picture of me in my Little League uniform with a big “C” on the front (for Continental Agency, not Cubs) and an autograph in the left-hand corner that reads, “To Mike & Dan, Best Always, Ernie Banks.’’
(Funny story — many years ago I wrote a column about the Cubs, accompanied by that photo. Our artist, who didn’t know Ernie Banks from Ernie on Sesame Street, filled in the autograph to make it darker so that it read “Bruce Banks.’’)
From that time on, I was a Cubs fan, and it didn’t hurt that the Salt Lake Bees were the Triple-A affiliate of the Cubs at that time. So I was able to see players such as Glenn Beckert and Billy Cowan make their way up to the Cubs to play with Ernie and Ron Santo and Billy Williams and the gang.
The Cubs were miserable in those days, but by 1969, I was sure they were going to finally win the pennant that had eluded them since 1945. Perhaps they could even win the World Series for the first time since 1908.
The Cubs led the National League by 10 games in late August and I remember making a $20 bet with my older brother, Rich, that the Cubs would win the pennant. He being older and much wiser, knew the Cubs better than I did and sure enough, the Cubs folded and lost the pennant to the Mets, who went on to win the World Series.
Then there was 1984 when the Cubs seemed destined for the World Series after winning their division. But after taking a 2-0 series lead against San Diego, they lost three straight and missed out on the Series.
More heartbreak came in 2003 when the Cubs were on their way to a World Series matchup against the Yankees, only to lose two playoff home games to the Florida Marlins after leading 3-2. Yeah, that was the Steve Bartman season.
Banks was the Cubs’ first black player in 1953 when his contract was bought from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. Before that he spent two years in the Army in service of his country.
He was a shortstop for the first half of his career, where he earned a Gold Glove, won two MVP awards and made 11 all-star appearances. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 on the first ballot. Now there is a statue of Banks at Wrigley Field on the corner of Clark and Addison.
Ernie was one of the good guys. They rarely make them like Ernie any more. Today’s athletes could learn a lot from Ernie Banks.
Ernie is famous for saying, “It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two.’’ Today it’s hard to get some players to play one. They’ll sit out with a sore pinkie finger or just because they need to rest. Banks once played in 717 straight games.
Ernie hit 512 home runs with his skinny 180-pound frame, thanks to quick wrists and outstanding hand-eye coordination. Many of today’s players have needed to bulk up with steroids or HGH to accomplish such a feat.
Ernie wasn’t a showboat. He wouldn’t preen after he hit a big homer or taunt the opposing team as he ran around the bases, as many players do today.
Ernie was never the type to refuse to speak to the media because of some perceived slight. Of course why would he have to ever worry about a bad word being written about him with his always-sunny disposition.
His longtime teammate, Billy Williams, said of Banks, “From the minute he woke up to the minute he went to bed, he’s the same way with a positive attitude and a joy to be around.”
Although the Cubs finished last again last year, there’s a new optimism in Chicago that the Cubs could win the championship in the next few years. They have stockpiled some good players, have one of the better farm systems in baseball and just signed one of the top free-agent pitchers in Jon Lester and hired a top manager in Joe Maddon.
It would be ironic — and too bad in some ways — if the Cubs suddenly won the pennant and the World Series in 2015 — as predicted in the movie "Back to the Future II" — the same year Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, died.
But in many ways it would be appropriate, and you can bet somewhere up there in the Great Beyond, Ernie Banks would be smiling, as usual.