FanPost

Tell Me About Mr. Cub

I'm not exactly looking to start a series or anything here, but the Hot Stove has been pretty luke warm at this point. I'm looking for some reading while I'm at work.

I'm a college student, so my only memories of Ernie Banks are of him singing the 7th inning stretch and such. I've met him a few times at the Cubs conventions but don't know much about his impact on the game, who he was, etc. I know there are tons of readers on here who know a lot about Mr. Cub and the legacy and standard for what a model professional baseball player should be. I'm looking to find out more about who he was, what kind of player he was. I'm not writing a biography, but he seems like a cool guy to know more about.

I do have a cool story about him. My dad, who was kind of heavy set as a kid, used to live on the south side when it wasn't as bad as it is now, and he and Ernie's son went to school together. They actually had the same bus stop. His son used to get dropped off at the stop, sometimes by Ernie. So I took my dad (admittedly a Sox fan) to the Cubs convention a few years ago and we were in line for Ernie. We got up there and he said "Mr. Banks, I'm not sure if you remember me, but your son and I used to have the same bus stop." Ernie looked at him for a few seconds and said, "You were that fat kid! Hi! How are you?" I just laughed.

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