RIP Mr. Cub, 1931-2015

I was sad to hear yesterday of the passing of Ernie Banks.  Like the other baseball immortals who have passed away since I started this blog, I can’t add much to anything that has been said and will be said about him.  Tony Gwynn was the last Hall of Famer to pass away, and like Gwynn, I think you could just tell that Mr. Cub was one of the good guys.  More than that, he was clearly one of those genuine guys.  A friend of mine’s dad met him a few times at a BW3 near where they live, and he said he was as friendly as you could be.  I met him a few years ago when I went to an autograph show in New Jersey.  I’ve been collecting autographs of 500-HR and 3,000-Hit guys, and Banks was a great guy to meet.  My mom is from Chicago, and though her favorite player was Ron Santo, everyone was a fan of Ernie Banks.  I told him how my mom was a fan, and he thought that was pretty cool.  He joked with my wife about the engagement ring I got her – he pretended like it was too bright for him to look at.  He spent a few minutes talking with us, much more than many autograph shows I’ve been to.  I remember thinking that he clearly just liked talking to fans of baseball.

Banks is the 10th HOF-er to pass away since I started this blog.  Though the world is a little less bright without him in it, hopefully Mr. Cub is playing two in a better place today.