Ernie Banks Died

[Omar]

http://i.imgur.com/zzwVcV3.jpg

[Guest]

The Banks family attorney said Ernie died of a heart attack, so hopefully that puts to bed any distractions around cause of death.

[Felix Leiter]

LOVE this photo.

 

[

 

btw, I just noticed something. Is Ernie's cap padded?

I wonder if he did it as a precursor to batting helmets. I noticed several shots on MLB network that it appears he is wearing a padded hat.

 

Here's a portion of the story from BR.

 

The first known use of batting helmets in the majors was by the 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers. Two of the Dodgers, Joe Medwick and Pee Wee Reese, had suffered severe beanings, so General Manager Larry MacPhail made the entire team wear protective helmets. Those helmets were based on jockeys' helmets, and were much like a normal baseball cap with a hard liner.

 

In 1971, Major League Baseball made helmets mandatory, though some veterans continued to wear cloth caps with liners under a grandfather clause. They included Norm Cash, Bob Montgomery, and Tony Taylor. Starting in 1983, players were required to wear helmets with flaps extending down from the crown to cover the ear of the batter that was closest to the pitcher. Players who had previously worn flapless helmets were allowed to continue doing so. Tim Raines Sr. was the last active player to wear a flapless helmet.

 

I think Ken Henderson when he played for the White Sox in the early 70's wore his hard liner under his cap in the field.

 

I will always remember Sammy Sosa's game in Pittsburgh where he got drilled in the helmet. Life saver.

[Guest]

sammy was never the same after that. sigh.

 

i swear he started standing a foot further from the plate and wasn't killing pitches on the outer half like he used to after that

[Brian]

great news - the Ernie Banks statue is out at Daley Plaza and Ronnie Woo Woo is there and available for photos!

[Sammy Sofa]

http://i.imgur.com/zzwVcV3.jpg

 

FFS; is that Harry Caray?

[jersey cubs fan]

http://i.imgur.com/zzwVcV3.jpg

 

FFS; is that Harry Caray?

 

Hank Hill

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

i wasn't going to say anything, but yeah. wtf is harry caray doing there

[ConstableRabbit]

i wasn't going to say anything, but yeah. wtf is harry caray doing there

From the looks of it, cutting carbs.

[Sammy Sofa]

The immortal Cardinals Hell MS Paint masterpiece really needs to be updated to have Harry's fat ass roasting down there.

[ConstableRabbit]

Not until Tavaras is added.

[Sammy Sofa]

Have Harry devouring him like Jabba the Hutt eating that frog.

[imb]

harry caray is in cubs heaven you neaderthals

[Banedon]

Yeah, what's with the Harry hate?

[Guest]

The immortal Cardinals Hell MS Paint masterpiece really needs to be updated to have Harry's fat ass roasting down there.

 

too bad a guy named It Might Be! made said masterpiece

[Guest]

Yeah, what's with the Harry hate?

 

i mean he was kind of an awful person and by the time i saw him regularly only detracted from a broadcast (not to say that it wasn't entertaining...like santo was a shitty radio guy but i guess i'd much rather listen to him than his successors).

[NonProfitCow]

The immortal Cardinals Hell MS Paint masterpiece really needs to be updated to have Harry's fat ass roasting down there.

 

too bad a guy named It Might Be! made said masterpiece

Quality stuff for a guy who can't spell IBM right.

[Guest]

cubs heaven harry looks more like maddon tbh

[Sammy Sofa]

harry caray is in cubs heaven you neaderthals

 

[expletive] on that butt stuff.

[ConstableRabbit]

I don't hate him but he's not on the level of Santo or Banks for Christ's sake.

 

He was a talented guy who got by on talent early in life. By the time he was working for the Cubs he was already reliant on gimmicks and shticks, none of which added much value. I had a chance to meet him a few times in my childhood and he was always friendly and engaging, and I'm sure he loved his job and the teams he covered. However, his legend status among Cubs fans is far larger than deserved, imo.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't hate him but he's not on the level of Santo or Banks for Christ's sake.

 

He was a talented guy who got by on talent early in life. By the time he was working for the Cubs he was already reliant on gimmicks and shticks, none of which added much value. I had a chance to meet him a few times in my childhood and he was always friendly and engaging, and I'm sure he loved his job and the teams he covered. However, his legend status among Cubs fans is far larger than deserved, imo.

 

It's no less deserved than any other announcers status as a legend. He's known throughout the country in a job that is typically only seen by a comparatively small local market. It's not just Cubs fans that elevate him.

[cl smooth]

would've made more sense if it was brickhouse opening the pearly gates instead of harry.

[Guest]

i'm so glad i never had to listen to brickhouse.

[ConstableRabbit]

I don't hate him but he's not on the level of Santo or Banks for Christ's sake.

 

He was a talented guy who got by on talent early in life. By the time he was working for the Cubs he was already reliant on gimmicks and shticks, none of which added much value. I had a chance to meet him a few times in my childhood and he was always friendly and engaging, and I'm sure he loved his job and the teams he covered. However, his legend status among Cubs fans is far larger than deserved, imo.

 

It's no less deserved than any other announcers status as a legend. He's known throughout the country in a job that is typically only seen by a comparatively small local market. It's not just Cubs fans that elevate him.

An announcer can have legend status due to say, talent (e.g., Harwell, Keith Jackson). Harry's notoriety -- especially nationally -- is based on his shtick (acting and/or being drunk, mispronouncing names) and caricature-like appearance, not his skill as a broadcaster. Hell, a lot of Cubs fans probably don't even know he used to be the Cardinals guy.

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't hate him but he's not on the level of Santo or Banks for Christ's sake.

 

He was a talented guy who got by on talent early in life. By the time he was working for the Cubs he was already reliant on gimmicks and shticks, none of which added much value. I had a chance to meet him a few times in my childhood and he was always friendly and engaging, and I'm sure he loved his job and the teams he covered. However, his legend status among Cubs fans is far larger than deserved, imo.

 

It's no less deserved than any other announcers status as a legend. He's known throughout the country in a job that is typically only seen by a comparatively small local market. It's not just Cubs fans that elevate him.

 

He deserves his reputation as a fantastic broadcaster...just not for nearly all of his time while announcing for the Cubs.

 

You listen to those early games for the first years with the Cubs and you can hear him start out strong, but then he just gets tanked as the game goes on and he ends up sounding like post-stroke/heart attacks/God knows what else-Harry.