Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks

Back in 1979, being a Chicago Cubs fan had very few perks. They had been finishing in the second division for most of a decade, leaving us longing for the stars of yesteryear: Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, and of course, Mr. Cub---Ernie Banks.

The Cub organization very wisely hired Ernie to do occasional PR work here and there, being that he was the only real bright spot about the team at that time, though I never expected to run into him face to face.

But 1979 was a time when Wrigley Field would open early (10:30 am for a 1:15 pm game), and you could actually watch players take batting practice, and if very lucky, coax one of them over to the waist-high brick wall separating fans in the stands from players on the field. Such a thing is unheard of today with the ballpark opening less than a half hour before game time, and then kicking fans out shortly after the last pitch is thrown. Selfish millionaires!

On a July day in '79 the Cubs were playing...somebody...and my friend and his Dad returned a favor and took me into Chicago to Wrigley and see a game. We got there early (thank you, Mr. B! My Dad always got us there late!) at around 10:45am and found so-so seats back-a-ways, but in line with the Cubs dugout. And near the dugout we noticed number 14, Ernie Banks talking to two kids...and no one else was around! My friend, Eric, and I seized the opportunity and grabbed his Dad's pen and our score cards and raced down to the wall to grab an autograph from the recently inducted Hall-Of-Famer, Mr. Banks.

We arrived to what appeared to be the last desperate throws of a conversation between Ernie and some kids who had run out of things to say:

KID: Well,....guess I'm gonna go get me some water....

ERNIE: Yep, that great tasting water...so good for you....

KID: Yep...gonna get some....water....uh.....okay....see yah.

ERNIE: Take care, now! Enjoy the game.

KID: ...Okay...I'll do tha....(faded away inaudibly).

Ernie seemed rather glad to see us at that point.

ERNIE: (to us) Hey!!! How are you guys doing?

BOTH OF US: Fine!....(quickly handing him our programs and pen, for fear the earth would end before we actually scored an autograph...)

ERNIE: (looking at my Dave Kingman and Bruce Sutter buttons) Hey, do you know those guys?

ME: uh...no. (trying to figure out why he would be asking such a question)

ERNIE: Do you know any Cubs?

ME: (not being thrown by the seeming absurdity of the question) Well, not really...but I met one once...Stan Hack, at his restaurant on Route 2.

ERNIE: (face lighting up with famous smile) Stan Hack?!? I know him. He was my first manager!

ME: No way!

ERIC: Yes he was!

ME: Oh.

ERNIE: (suddenly taking an interest) So where are you going to college?

ME: College? I'm only 15! (I was rather tall for my age and looked older).

ERNIE: (not missing a beat) Well, you won't be 15 forever! In three years you'll be going to college...four years after that you'll graduate....2 years after that, you'll be married!

ME: (not missing a beat, either) (sarcastic but good natured) And two years after that I'll get divorced!

Lots of laughter erupted from both Ernie and the crowd that mysteriously assembled, which began to elbow past us for autographs. As we were pushed out of the way we said our good-byes.

If you are reading this, Ernie, thank you for one of the very few positive celebrity encounters I've had.