CHICAGO _ Ernie Banks was far more complex than the ever-cheerful Mr. Cub persona he created for himself.
Former Chicago Sun-Times columnist Ron Rapoport has done a magnificent job lifting the veil and illuminating the shadows in "Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks."
A definitive biography, "Let's Play Two" was born of remnants from an aborted autobiography on which Rapoport was to collaborate. The result is a far more candid and nuanced story.
It introduces us to a more human Banks than most ever knew while fully appreciating the part of his life that made him one of Chicago's most beloved figures.
Banks came to this city by way of an impoverished childhood in a Dallas home without electricity or running water and then the dying days of Negro League baseball.
Once here he was a bright light on a string of low-wattage Cubs teams, winning back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1958-59, and then there was the crushing letdown of 1969.
There are places where Banks fades into the background as Rapoport _ a colleague of mine at two newspapers _ tells the story of the teams and teammates with whom Banks played, some more familiar to today's Cubs fans than others. But it helps put him and his frustrations into perspective.
Then there is Mr. Cub in twilight, the challenge of what to do with his playing days behind him.
Rapoport goes at his subject with a reporter's eye, filling "Let's Play Two" with details that should be a revelation to many, though some will merely jog the memories of older die-hard Cubs fans.
Here are 10 things in the book you may not know about Mr. Cub:
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