JEFF'S CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG - IT'S TIME TO HONOR MR. CUB!
A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG, FROM A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS FAN
Well, the Cubs have finally made a good PR decision and that's honoring Hall of Famer Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks with a statue outside of Wrigley Field. The staure of Banks will be erected before the start of the 2008 season.
Ernie has long been synonymous with Cubbie Blue and he's of course famous for his 512 home runs as well as his catch phrase "Let's Play Two." He's been the patriarch and long-term face of the Cubs and has remained so due to his continued passion for the game of baseball and the Cub organization.
Ernie played for the Cubs his entire MLB career and amassed huge numbers (see below). He is credited with beginning the phase of the bigger, stronger power-hitting shortstop position that became heralded in the 80's with the advent of Robin Yount and Cal Ripken Jr. Ernie played the game the way it was supposed to be played while enduring his share of obstacles due
to the era he began in as well as the physical/mental strain of being a professional athlete.
When notified that he'd be honored with a statue at Wrigley Field, Ernie said "This is truly a tremendous honor, the Cubs mean everything to me." (See Carrie Muskat's entire article at the Chicago Cubs Official Website). How fitting it is for the man that remains one of the bright spots in an otherwise mediocre franchise that hasn't won a championship in 99 years.
Although I never saw Ernie play live the highlights tell so much and his smile makes you an instant fan! His catch phrase of "let's play two" rings loud to all of us that played ball in the park from sunrise to sunset. He has inspired so many and now in addition to being a hall of famer, he's being honored by the Cubs in the most appropriate manner. Congratulations, Ernie - you deserve it!
Here are Ernie Banks' rankings on the all-time Cub lists (ML rank in parentheses where in the top forty). See his full stats on the Baseball Almanac website.
Games: 2528, 1st (40th)
At-bats: 9421, 1st (39th)
Runs: 1305, 5th
Hits: 2583, 2nd
SLG: .500, 7th
Total bases: 4706, 1st (27th)
Doubles: 407, 3rd
Triples: 90, 7th
Home runs: 512, 2nd (17th)
RBI: 1636, 2nd (22nd)
Bases on balls: 763, 8th
Extra-base hits: 1009, 1st (25th)
Intentional walks: 198, 1st (11th)
Want to talk Chicago Sports? Drop me a line anytime! Whether it's the Bulls, the Bears, the Cubs, the Sox, the Blackhawks, or the Fire, I'd love to communicate, or commiserate, with you!
Jeff Ardito
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, The Dean's Team Chicago Sports Section
