Jan. 24--To those who saw Ernie Banks away from the ballpark, the Cubs' Hall of Fame slugger was the perfect ambassador who always displayed a genuine touch.
"Ernie represented the best of what baseball and sports could be," Beth Goldberg Heller, executive vice president of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, said Friday night shortly after the passing of Banks, 83. "He was the perfect ambassador for the Chicago Cubs: a tremendous athlete and a kindhearted person. He truly enjoyed his time at Harry Caray's restaurant (where he had a financial interest), talking and interacting with fans of all ages.
"He would spend hours at the restaurant, and when fans would approach him he would make them feel very special by asking about their lives. I never saw him turn down a single autograph or photo request. He made every fan that he met feel special. When he would see you the next time, he remembered who you were and remembered everything you last discussed."
Former Cubs third baseman and hitting coach Bill Mueller described Banks as everything the game of baseball should be -- classic, respectable, and full of integrity."
Mueller shared a story in which Banks was truly interested in his family.
"When I mentioned my son had chosen to do a school report on him, he immediately asked to see it," Mueller, now the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, wrote in an email.
"The Cubs have lost a legend, and we as a baseball community, have lost an even better man."
