The one and only Ernie Banks

1931-2015 Always remember the fingers at bat

Ernie a life well lived. I was too young to see Ernie Banks play his best at shortstop. He had the best pair of hands I remember seeing at first base. Every low throw was easily handled by Ernie. Researching about Ernie he played shortstop with few errors and had pretty good range. By all accounts a knee injury slowed him down. My dad told me that pitchers used to throw at his knees. But the injury came to Ernie Banks in basic training in the army during the Korean War. Ernie served in Germany I did not know that Ernie was a vet and think of the advantages we have today to repair knees. Derrick Rose recovery bears testimony of the change. 

What I was aware of were the nine years Ernie showed up and played two. Hurt, most of those years, he still came close to hitting 30 or more home runs and drive in close to a 100 RBIs. Ernie was the best PR man in baseball. Bill Veech, Phil Wrigley, Ernie Banks, Jack Brickhouse, and Harry Carey framed the “friendly confines.” Ernie coined the phrase and lived it. What makes a Cub fan a Cub fan Ernie had a lot to do with it. 

Ernie's high school did not have a baseball team. Ernie played football, basketball and track. He was good enough to play with the Harlem Globetrotters. Ernie's dad bought him a $3.00 glove and played catch with Ernie. Ernie played on a church fast pitch softball team. Did you know that Ernie was a Texan? He says he got soft hands from picking cotton. He dealt with racism by his desire to make others better. By every account that I read, Ernie made people feel like he had time to listen to their stories. It does seem unanimous that he was a nice guy. 

Ernie forced you if you were racist to see his humanity. He challenged you by just being Ernie. If Ernie is human, then my thinking about the African race is wrong. Today when you listen to people, you would think that nobody had a problem with race. It is always someone else. For me, I still remember the 60s, I remember me. It was a time when I was challenged in my thinking. The one constant reminder for me once is gentle man from Texas who thought the best thing in the world was playing game at Wrigley.

Ernie's positive attitude had to drive people nuts. Hardline winners in baseball are not nice guys. No baseball is designed to win anyway you can. True baseball leans to cheat and to make the umpire call the play. True baseball looks to get an advantage no matter what the costs. We get all out of sorts when somebody is cheating. The Cubs were good at this in the 19th century. Early in the 20th Century they had a double play combination that did not even talk to each other. They were winners, but nobody liked them. 

Nice guys, maybe not

Could there have been a greater contrast between Leo the lip and Ernie Banks? Leo Durocher played for the Yankees, Cardinals winning two world series. With the Yankees he played with the greatest teams in baseball history. "As long as I've got a chance to beat you I'm going to take it,” sums up the true morality in baseball. We have another quote, “Nice guys don’t finish last.” Then there is Ernie. As time moves on Ernie became more vocal. And the more you heard from this guy was the way he was a nice guy. Billy Williams who roomed with him, tells us that what you see and hear from Ernie is the real thing. Leo and Ernie could not be more opposite. Leo wanted to get rid of Ernie but, Ernie had already won the city. Maybe if Leo have been able to get rid of Ernie the Cubs may have won in 69. Ernie's RBI total was high, but his batting average was 50 points lower than his most valuable player years. Mr. Cub was destined to retire as a Cub. No, I think 1969 we can't blame on Ernie. Baseball has to be played well in August and September and the Cubs did not. While Leo wanted to get rid of Ernie, Ernie said that “Leo made me better and stretched me.” So Leo may have help Ernie hit 23 home runs and drive in 106 RBIs thereby helped an injured Ernie hit 500+ home runs. I see in Ernie's insights a competitor who looked at criticism as a way to improve. Every game he gave us what he could and in the end that is all a ball player can do. 

Now that he's gone, people will focus on his flaws. There is a shocker an athlete has flaws. Many have speculated that underneath the smile of Ernie was pain. Maybe, but Ernie went out of his home, genuinely enjoyed talking with people. He let us know how great it was to play baseball on a sunny day with the wind blowing out and maybe on that day it was a doubleheader. Keep walking

Why we play the game - life?

All the greats have been here

This week's superbowl was a blow out, the game settled early. One team and fans elated and another team and their fans deflated. In general most people were rooting for Payton Manning and still taken back by the rudeness of Richard Sherman. Winning doesn't change that, but it shows again defense wins championships. The game's lopsidedness was re-mindful of the Bears winning the game in 85. Different from rudeness the Bears were bold and daring as they sang the Superbowl shuffle. In the game they were stronger, faster, and at every point dominate. Seattle's game was the same. On the run of the Bears like Joe Namath's prediction in Superbowl 3, they had fun. I think Seattle did too. Richard Sherman's tantrum leaves a bad taste in my mouth, the smell of it is fowl, the touch is cold and harsh, the sound and sight of it speaks for itself.
The 85 bears long since retired remain heroes in Bear lore. They will always be the team bigger than two coaches and as big as the city with broad shoulders. Seattle will have their heroes too. Sherman as talented as they come, will get other opportunities. Will he learn and man up? If he does he too may be the better.
I came across a quote John Wooden was used to saying and his players never forgot it. "When the great scorer comes to Mark against your name, he writes not that you won or lost but how you played the game." Grantland Rice I think that is largely forgotten by today's athlete. Every athlete if he or she stays in the game long enough will face defeat. Y.A. Tittle ends his career bloodied and broken, Johnny U on the bench. Brett Fayre cold and old looking, Ali can't punch back, Michael Jordon can't get back to the championship. Defeat is part of the game. For a champion and competitor it will come back to how you played the game? No one is perfect and in our youth and strength we may have be unwise at times. If the game somehow didn't challenge us and made us better for the process; we may have forgotten why we play the game. Somewhere between the joy of it and the lessons learned is the balance. Keep walking.