Fun Fact #334 Mr. Cub

 Fun Fact #334

Mr. Cub

On September 17th, 1953, It was the Major League Debut of Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cubs’ first African American player. As he was leaving the game however, he got a surprise visit from none other than Jackie Robinson who gave him the following advice "Ernie, I'm glad to see you're up here so now just listen and learn…”. Mr. Banks would take this advice to heart and learned that those who spread hate tend to discredit themselves if you let them talk enough. So he let them talk, all the while scoring regular home runs (512 @ career end) and shattering numerous records. 

He was also well known for how polite he was, not just on the field but also to the fans, earning him the nickname “Mr. Sunshine”. Yet his favorite was what the kids called him: “Mr. Cub” or “Mr. Cubby” and was glad to have become a role model for them. 

By the end of his life he received many awards including repeatedly being voted the best Cub of all time since 1969, #14 was retired in his honor, being named to the Major League All-Century team in 1999, and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. Today he is buried in Graceland Cemetery, just a few blocks north of Wrigley field, and it is not uncommon for some fans to pay their respects to Mr. Cub before going to see a Cubs game.