Ernie Banks mourned in sports world and beyond

CHICAGO (AP) ― To Chicago Cubs fans, Ernie Banks was sunshine that cut through decades of darkness. To baseball players, he was the spirit of the game.

His teammates loved him, and his list of admirers included President Barack Obama to Pearl Jam to athletes from all over the sports world.

And they all got the same person, all the time.

“Ernie was exactly what you saw,” said Don Kessinger, a shortstop who played with Banks in the 1960s. “He was a great ballplayer, a great teammate and a great friend.”

What everyone saw included 512 home runs during a 19-year career that put him in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. But perhaps more importantly, what everyone appreciated was “Mr. Cub,” an always positive attitude that sparked a steady stream of tributes after Banks’ death Friday night at age 83.

“I know he was Mr. Cub, but he was really Mr. Baseball,” White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said Saturday. “He was really a great, great ambassador for the game.”

A makeshift memorial outside Wrigley Field on Saturday included flowers, an Ernie Banks bobblehead and pictures of the slugger with fans. A No. 14 jersey was draped over one part of a small fence with the inscription “Let’s play two” ― the iconic saying he was known for ― and then “Not without you” written under his trademark line.

Another small green sign read “Say ‘Holy Cow’ to Harry and Ron for us,” referring to broadcaster Harry Caray’s famous saying and Ron Santo, another former Cubs player and broadcaster who passed away in 2010.

“He was the franchise,” said Jim Banach, 53, a lifelong Cubs fan who grew on the South Side of Chicago.

Linda O’Brien, 54, a pharmacy tech from nearby Oak Lawn, said she met Banks a couple of times.

“He was just so nice,” she said. “The one time when I got his autograph at the Cubs convention, he was making everybody do exercises in line. I thought that was pretty funny.”

The Cubs will certainly spend the upcoming season honoring Banks, right from the start. The 2015 major league opener is at Wrigley Field, a Sunday night game on April 5 against St. Louis.

In a statement, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama expressed their condolences “to the family of Ernie Banks, and to every Chicagoan and baseball fan who loved him.” The president said Banks became known as much for his optimism and love of the game as his home runs and back-to-back National League MVPs.

“He was beloved by baseball fans everywhere, including Michelle, who, when she was a girl, used to sit with her dad and watch him play on TV,” Obama said. “And in 2013, it was my honor to present Ernie with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Somewhere, the sun is shining, the air is fresh, his team’s behind him, and Mr. Class ― “Mr. Cub” ― is ready to play two.”

Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey said Banks was equally positive around umps. Banks, in fact, never was ejected from a game.

“He wasn’t a griper. Never complained about a strike or an out or a call,” Harvey told the Associated Press. “Some guys would turn their heads after a pitch and look at you like you were nuts. Not Ernie. It was always, ‘Isn’t this a great day to be alive and playing baseball?’”