Yes, it's true, I'm not doing an update of EveryCubEver this season. On the other hand, I do plan on featuring every Hall of Fame Cub this year right here on this blog. And those entries will be from EveryCub Ever.
One more January Hall of Famer birthday, and this one's a biggie. Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, was born on January 31, 1931.
Ernie Banks 1931-2015 (Cubs 1953-1971)
Ernie is not only a Hall of Famer, but also the first African-American player to ever play for the Chicago Cubs. The way he became a Cub is almost a fluke. At the end of the 1953 season, Gene Baker was called up to be the first African-American Cubs player. Ernie was signed shortly thereafter from the Kansas City Monarchs. They signed Ernie strictly because they needed another Black player to room with Baker. They honestly had no idea what they were getting in Banks. One of the Cubs coaches, Ray Blades, gave Ernie a book called How to play baseball even though he had hit .380 for the Monarchs. Banks only got in the lineup first because Baker was hurt (he got into a game three days later). At the time, inserting Banks into the lineup was a very controversial move, because shortstop was considered a thinking man’s position, and Banks was the first African-American in major league history to play shortstop on a regular basis. Needless to say, it worked out just fine. Why do they call Ernie Banks Mr. Cub? Ernie is among the top 5 all-time Cubs in games played (1st), at-bats (1st), hits (2nd), runs (5th), doubles (3rd), home runs (2nd), and RBI (2nd). He led the team in homers for two full decades, the 1950s (with 238) and the 1960s (with 269). Unfortunately he also played in more losses than any other player in baseball history. In a little known bit of trivia, he also was the first African-American manager. When manager Whitey Lockman was kicked out of a game on May 8, 1973, Ernie was the acting manager for one inning. Frank Robinson became the first full-time African-American manager just a few months later. Banks was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 2008 Ernie became a part of Wrigley Field when the club unveiled his statue. Countless Cubs fans take pictures in front of it every year.
Historical note: On the day the Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools illegal (1954), Ernie tripled and knocked in two runs for the Cubs in a 10-6 win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
