Posted on 01/24/2015 4:15:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
News broke Friday evening that one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game, Ernie Banks, had passed away at the age of 83. The man lovingly known as “Mr. Cub” spent his enter major league career with the North Side franchise, slugging 512 home runs and winning two NL MVP awards. The 14-time All-Star started his playing career in the Negro Leagues and was the first black player to put on a Chicago Cubs uniform. Despite playing for the perennially bottom-dwelling Cubbies, his optimism and love of the game never wavered, as evidenced by his famous quote, “Let’s play two!”
The morning after his passing, President Obama and the First Lady released a statement mourning Banks that paid tribute to his career, calling him an “ambassador for baseball.” Obama, a Chicago resident, also mentioned Banks being a recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
"Michelle and I send our condolences to the family of Ernie Banks, and to every Chicagoan and baseball fan who loved him.
Ernie came up through the Negro Leagues, making $7 a day. He became the first African-American to play for the Chicago Cubs, and the first number the team retired. Along the way, he became known as much for his 512 home runs and back-to-back National League MVPs as for his cheer, his optimism, and his love of the game. As a Hall-of-Famer, Ernie was an incredible ambassador for baseball, and for the city of Chicago. He was beloved by baseball fans everywhere, including Michelle, who, when she was a girl, used to sit with her dad and watch him play on TV. And in 2013, it was my honor to present Ernie with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Somewhere, the sun is shining, the air is fresh, his team’s behind him, and Mr. Class — “Mr. Cub” — is ready to play two."
Banks’ impact on the game of baseball, and the nation in general, is apparent due to the outpouring of emotion from people far and wide. The number of tributes that have been published already about the man is nearly countless. On Friday, we lost one of the truly great ones. You will be missed, Ernie.
I wonder who he got to explain to him who Ernie Banks is. He sure as hell didn’t know.
He probably thinks Ernie played in Comiskey Park.
1060 West Addison? That’s Wrigley Field.
As if he actually wrote this.
That’s Cominsky.
Probably fell in love with step-daddy under the bleachers.
I’m sure he knows a thing or two about spitballs
He knows he was black that is all he needed to know.
write? Obie? not a chance
You got that right.
Not fit to clean the dirt out of Ernie’s cleats.
“Obama” and “touching” should never be in closed proximity.he’s a cold, mean, cold, calculating, isolated, scoundrel with nary a heart-warming bone in his body.
Actually, it’s not. Look it up.
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