Ron & Ernie Would Have Loved This

#RememberThatCub special playoff edition. Remembering Ron and Ernie.

Flying high above Wrigley Field on the Left-field flagpole is the numbers of two of the Cubs most beloved players of all time. Anyone who has ever called themselves a Cubs fan knows exactly who they are, #10 Ron Santo and #14 Ernie Banks. Two men that personified exactly what being a Cub truly means. These two men played the game with a love and a passion and carried that same emotion into their retirement. For years you could find Ernie making an appearance at games, at Cubs convention, and joining in the singing of the 7th inning stretch. Santo was that voice on the radio alongside Pat Hughes that lived and died with each of us on every Cubs pitch.

Now here we are entering the 3rd straight season of post-season baseball and it’s hard not to think of these two men and what it would mean to them.

Ron Santo

Santo became beloved by his play on the field as a Chicago Cub. He was an All-Star 9 of his 15 seasons in the MLB. He led the NL in Triples 1 year, walks 4 years, and OBP 2 times. He is the only 3rd baseman in MLB history to have 8 consecutive 90 RBI seasons. He won 5 consecutive Gold Gloves and was able to do all of this while hiding from the public his battle with Diabetes. He would eventually lose both legs to amputation after retirement due to his battle with the disease, but that didn’t stop him from still displaying his Cubs pride as his prosthetic had the Cubs logo on it. Santo would join the Cubs broadcast booth along side Pat Hughes for some entertaining dialogue from each game. Santo endorsed the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations annual, Ron Santo’s Walk to cure Diabetes in Chicago. He helped raise over $65 million dollars for the foundation. On September 28th, 2003 Santo’s jersey was retired making him only the 3rd Cub’s player to receive the honor. Ron Santo would lose his battle with Diabetes on December 2, 2010. On December 5, 2011 Santo would receive the honor he cherish most, the MLB Hall of Fame. The honor came almost exactly 1 year to the date of his death.

Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks or as many of us know him, “Mr. Cub” or “Mr. Sunshine”, is considered by many to be the greatest Cub of all time. His numbers on the field speak for themselves. He was an 11 time All-Star, NL MVP in 1958 and 1959 and became the Cubs first Gold Glove recipient in 1960. Banks held the record for most home runs by a shortstop (277) until Cal Ripken Jr. claimed the honor. Banks was chosen for the Hall of Fame by voters in 1977, the first year he was eligible. In 1982 the Cubs retired his number 14 making him the 1st Cub ever to receive the honor. In 1999 he was named to the MLB All-Century team. Ernie Banks would pass away on January 23, 2015 from a heart attack and laid to rest in Graceland Cemetery just a few blocks from Wrigley Field.

Going on without them

Not a moment has passed over these last 3 years of Cubs baseball, that I don’t think about these two men. Two men who loved the Cubs so much, but never tasted postseason success as Cubs. Banks who played in 2528 consecutive games between 1953–1971 without a playoff appearance, which is the most all-time, and Santo who played in 2243 games between 1960–1974 without an appearance for 5th on the all-time list.

Imagine the joy that these two men would have felt as they watched the Cubs end the 108 year draught without a World Series. Imagine the glee from getting to join in as the Cubs organization hoisted the Championship banners high above Wrigley Field. So many times throughout last years playoffs and even during the Championship parade that I thought of Ron and Ernie.

Once again these feelings are resurfacing as we witnessed the Cubs claim back-to-back NL Central titles and now prepare for an NLDS matchup with the Washington Nationals. You see when we think about where the Cubs are now, we must also remember where they once were. The lovable losers that broke our hearts so many times and yet filled our hearts with hope and optimism too. We must take a moment to #RememberThatCub and think about that infective smile that Ernie could deliver or Santo the heel clicking 3rd baseman that wanted to win as bad as the everyday fans do.

So next time you watch a ball sail over the wall in left-field for the Cubs, just take a look up at that foul pole and point a finger to the sky, because surely Ron and Ernie are smiling down on The Friendly Confines from that big baseball field in the sky.

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