Ernie

I was six years old and living in Laporte, Indiana.  My family had moved often in my first six years, so when we landed in Laporte, I began many new things.  I had friends.  I started school, and this was when I first remember television.  My mother had the black and white set on in the living room  watching the Today Show while I was getting ready for school.  When I came down from my room, she turned the channel to Captain Kangaroo.  Those are great memories, but it was the weekend when my dad came home from his sales job that my best memory of early television came to life.

I remember it distinctly.  It was a spring day in 1956.  My father turned on the set in the early afternoon.  The channel was WGN.  The show - Chicago Cubs baseball.  That day I became an incurable Cubs fan, just like my dad.  I remember that he told me the history of the team that day.  I remember that they did not win.  But what I remember most is that Ernie Banks hit a home run and the camera caught his smile.

From that moment on, I followed the Cubs through thick and thin.  As most know, it has always been mostly thin.  Just like life, being a Cubs fan has it ups and downs.  What never changed for one day since 1956 is that Ernie Banks was my hero.  I never saw a more positive man in my whole life.

In my life I have had strong role models.  Both of my grandfathers not only grounded me in my religious beliefs as ministers, but they also were good men who thought about all the people with whom they worked.  My father knew everybody, or so it seemed.  More importantly, all those people like and trusted him.  My uncle John raised a great family with caring and loving.  All the men in my family gave me the examples that I needed.

Ernie Banks filled in any gaps.  I don't know how many times in my life that I would think how tough life was, or how put upon I was.  Invariably, I would think of phrases like, "It's a beautful day for a game" or "Let's play two."  That might not mean much to non-Cub fans, or even more recent fans, but to me meant that Ernie knew that there was always a better day ahead.

Today, I found out that Ernie died yesterday.  There aren't too many people whom I haven't actually met who can move me to tears on their passing.  Ernie Banks death did.  Just as quickly, his voice and smile come to me in memory and I realize "It's a beautiful day for Ernie."  Rest in peace Ernie, the Cubs will win one for you, or not.  Tell Ron Santo hello from all of us.