Ernie Banks

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Ernie Banks
Shortstop

Born: January 31 1931 (1931-01-31) (age 78)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 17, 1953 for the Chicago Cubs
Final game
September 26, 1971 for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
AVG	.274
HR	512
RBI	1636
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1953-1971)
Career highlights and awards
All-star: 1955-1962, 1965, 1967, and 1969 National League MVP: 1958 and 1959 League Leader in RBIs: 1958 and 1959 League Leader Home Runs: 1958 and 1960 Gold Glove: 1960 Voted into National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977

Ernest "Ernie" Banks (born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas) is an American former Major League baseball player who played his entire career with the Chicago Cubs (1953-1971). Banks is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. His nickname was Mr. Cub. He currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

1 Playing career
2 Coaching career
3 Honors
4 Other
5 Stats
- 5.1 Years led league by statistical category
6 See also
7 External links

Playing career

Ernie Banks
is a member of
the Baseball
Hall of Fame

Banks signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950 and broke into the major leagues in 1953 with the Chicago Cubs as their first black player. He played for the Cubs his entire career, starting at shortstop and moving to first base in 1962. Banks wore number 14 as a Cub, and is one of only four Cubs players who have had their number retired by the organization. He is well known for his catch phrase of, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!", expressing his wish to play a double-header every day out of his pure love for the game of baseball, especially in his self-described "friendly confines of Wrigley Field." In 1955, he set the record for grand slams in a single season with 5, a record that stood for over twenty years.

Banks won the National League Most Valuable Player Award twice, in 1958 and 1959 despite the fact that the Cubs were not pennant contenders during the season. Jimmy Dykes reportedly remarked that, "Without Ernie Banks, the Cubs would finish in Albuquerque!"[1]

On September 2, 1965, Banks hit his 400th home run, and five years later, on May 12, 1970 at Chicago's Wrigley Field, hit his 500th home run. Banks finished his career with 512 home runs, the most ever by a shortstop. Ernie Banks also currently holds the record for most extra base hits by a Cub with 1,009.

Coaching career

On December 1, 1971, Banks retired as a player, and the Cubs signed him as a coach.

On May 8, 1973, Cubs manager Whitey Lockman was ejected from the game. Coach Ernie Banks filled in as manager for the two innings of the 12-inning 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Thus, he was technically, if not officially, MLB's first black manager, predating Frank Robinson's hiring by almost two years.

Honors

Banks is regarded as one of the most popular baseball players in Chicago sports history. He was a constant promoter of the Cubs and of daytime play at Wrigley Field. His popularity and positive attitude led to the nicknames "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine".

On August 22, 1982, his uniform number 14 became the first to be retired by the Cubs. It had already been de facto retired for nearly 9 years, not having been assigned to anyone else following Banks' retirement from the coaching ranks.

In 1977, in his first year of eligibility, Banks was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1999, he ranked Number 38 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

On May 22, 2007, the Chicago Cubs announced that the team would erect a statue of Mr. Cub outside Wrigley Field. The statue is set to be done on opening day 2008. Banks will become the second person to have a statue outside Wrigley Field, the first being Harry Caray. The statue will be created by The Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany, the same company who made Caray's statue and Michael Jordan's statue outside the United Center.

Other

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ernie Banks operated car dealership Ernie Banks Ford on Stony Island Avenue in Chicago.

Banks was once convinced to run for alderman in Chicago's 8th ward. He ran as a Republican in a city that had not elected a Republican Mayor since 1932. In spite of his popularity, Banks was soundly beaten.

In June of 2006, Crain's Chicago Business reported that Ernie Banks was part of a group looking into buying the Chicago Cubs, in case the Tribune Company decides to sell the club.[2] The Tribune Company has still not yet decided to sell, but they have decided that Banks deserves to be permanently attached to the Cubs franchise and legacy. By the start of the 2008 baseball season there will be a statue of Banks erected at Wrigley Field. [3][4]

Stats

Height: 6'- 1"
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Uniform number: 14
MLB
- Batting average: .274
- Hits: 2,583
- RBIs: 1,636
- Home runs: 512
Cubs' all-time leader:
- Games played (2,528)
- At-bats (9,421)
- Total bases (4,706)

Major League Single Season Records
- 5 grand slam home runs in 1955

Years led league by statistical category

Shortstop Major League Leader:
- Fielding Average - 1 time
- Fewest errors - 1 time
National League Leader:
- Games played - 6 times
- Extra base hits - 4 times
- Home runs - 2 times
- RBI's - 2 times
- Slugging percentage - 1 time
- Total bases - 1 time
- At bats - 1 time

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame
Negro League Baseball Museum
Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

Preceded by Hank Aaron	National League Home Run Champion 1958	Succeeded by Eddie Mathews
Preceded by Hank Aaron	National League RBI Champion 1958-1959	Succeeded by Hank Aaron
Preceded by Hank Aaron	National League Most Valuable Player 1958, 1959	Succeeded by Dick Groat
Preceded by Eddie Mathews	National League Home Run Champion 1960	Succeeded by Orlando Cepeda
Preceded by Brooks Robinson	Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1967	Succeeded by Al Kaline