Ernie Banks is gone. He was the first African American to play for the Chicago Cubs, and has forever since been “Mr. Cub.”

A Hall of Fame inductee (1977), Banks is best remembered for his boundless enthusiasm: Let’s Play Two! Only the eternal optimist would want to inject himself into a broiling-afternoon doubleheader (National League Chicago played no night games then) on most of the Cubs teams he played for. Banks never appeared in a postseason game, and therefore remained something of a Chicago phenomenon. The Cubs have not won a championship since 1908.

Banks had tremendous power and in many ways is the prototype of the modern-day superstar-power shortstop: Cal Ripkin Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Troy Tulowitzki.

God got a good one.