Heaven needs to stock up on pine tar, because there's a new sheriff in town and he's gonna want to play two.
I saw Ernie Banks close up in 1967. That was well past his
prime, but he was still an all-star caliber first baseman. The Cubs
were holding spring training in Palm Springs and I went out for a game.
The field was barely better than what most high schools have today. I
stood within 10 feet of the players, separated by a low wire fence and
got acknowledged by Banks when I shouted hello. Billy Williams and Ron
Santo pretty much ignored the fans, but Banks tried to acknowledge
every one that shouted out to him.
Later that summer, I saw him in the All-Star game. It was the terrible
15-inning marathon with 30 strikeouts. I think Banks grounded out, but
Mantle was among the strikeout victims. They didn't have a rule about
how many innings a pitcher could go, once the game went into extra
innings and Catfish Hunter, the youngest American League pitcher, got
stuck with going forever until he gave up the winning home run to
Perez. They also didn't have a rule about the players hanging around
after they were pulled from the game. It was routine for the stars to
leave the bench, get dressed and leave the ballpark once their stint
was finished. By the 15th inning, the National League dugout was empty
except for one guy -- Ernie Banks was still there supporting his team,
even though he had already made his appearance.
The last time I saw him in person was at a doubleheader at Dodger
Stadium. The teams split the pair, probably because Koufax and Drysdale
weren't both available. Ferguson Jenkins was pitching in relief and
Banks did nothing remarkable. I went with a black guy and his family.
The next day at work, he showed up sun-burned, which amazed me. I was
sun-burned, but it had never occurred to me that black people got
sun-burned too.
Banks was bigger than baseball. We were watching Australian Open
tennis and Golden State Warriors basketball when my wife got the
bulletin on her iPhone that Banks had died. Within minutes,
broadcasters at both events had mentioned it.
It's definitely true today. There is no joy in Mudville.
Al Tommervik is a competitor in the current Black Knight Squash Fiction match.
Al Tommervik is a competitor in the current Black Knight Squash Fiction match.
