Fans Mourn Loss Of 'Mr. Cub' Ernie Banks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Cubs fans and baseball fans all over are saddened by the death of Ernie Banks, who died Friday night in Chicago at the age of 83.
WBBM's Mike Krauser reports the Wrigley Field marquee behind the construction walls reads "Ernie Banks 'Mr. Cub' 1931-2015."
While it has been decades since Banks played the game, he has been a presence and an ambassador for both the Cubs and the game ever since.
Fans had been stopping to take pictures of the marquee and some have left behind candles, flowers, beer cans and a batting helmet.
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Todd Dees-Hope was one of the fans taking pictures, and he recalled the time in 1968 or 1969 when he got Banks' autograph.
"It is a sad day in Wrigleyville ... 'Mr. Cub,' first autograph I ever got," Dees-Hope said. "I still have my pen from when I got the autograph."
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Lydia Ripsinsky was philosophical.
"It is a time for reflection of all the things that have come and gone," she said. "You see the sign up here that says that he has passed and you see the construction going on and it is kind of like he picked the right time to go."
Ripsinsky remembered that Banks always had a slogan: "Cubs will be great in '68" or "Shine in '69."
Matt Lawrence, a Sox fan, said baseball has lost an icon.
"It is a horrible day for Chicago," Lawrence said. "Ernie Banks is Mr. Cub. He represents the entire city of Chicago. I have never seen a more optimistic man in my life."
Former Cubs team president and current president of the Blackhawks John McDonough released a statement saying, "Ernie was an illuminating superstar who was personable, humble and selfless. He was also the greatest player to ever wear a Cubs uniform. He loved the Cubs, Wrigley Field and the city of Chicago. The Friendly Confines were always a bit friendlier when he was around. I will miss him."
Banks played his entire career with the Cubs from 1953 to 1971 and was named an All-Star 14 times and won the National League MVP award in 1958 and 1959.
The Cubs retired Banks' No. 14 jersey in 1982 and built a statue of Banks outside of Wrigley in 2008. Banks was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1977.
President Barack Obama awarded Banks the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
