Ernie Banks was so beloved and respected that even fans of the Cubs’ biggest rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, respect the class and work ethic Banks represented.
Ernie Banks was so beloved and respected that even fans of the Cubs’ biggest rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, respect the class and work ethic Banks represented.You have to love when a player earns that kind of respect. Stan Musial had the same reputation among the Cardinals' opponents (I should have included Musial in the aforesaid list of players with skill and class!); Sandy Koufax had the same rep among the Dodgers' opponents; Hank Aaron among Braves' opponents.
A story about Koufax I still love: Thirty-five years after Koufax beat the Cubs' Bob Hendley in a perfect game that might have featured Hendley with a no-hitter on its backside (the only Dodger run of the game scored without a hit; the only Dodger hit was stranded on base), Hendley was surprised to receive a small package: a 1965 National League baseball inscribed "What a game!!" with a note attached: We had a night, a moment, a career. I hope life has been good to you. Sandy.
It happened after one of Hendley's sons saw a newspaper clipping commemorating the game and sent it to Koufax, only to have Koufax return it autographed with a note: "Say hello to your father for me."
Hendley to this day will tell anyone who asks how it felt to lose that game, "It's no disgrace to be beaten by class."