Adams: The Unwavering Positive Attitude of Ernie Banks

For years I have delivered programs on the importance of the positive attitude.

Recently, one of the most beloved people to ever live in Chicago died at the age of 83. Ernie Banks. He was called Mr. Cub because he was such a great ball player for the Chicago Cubs. Having lived fairly close to Chicago since 1988 I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the word ‘positive’ associated with Ernie Banks. While he was a great player, he is remembered more for his always-positive attitude and his sunshiny approach to every day.

He was so admired in Chicago that they moved his ballpark statue downtown at Daley Plaza for a few days so that people could go by it to pay tribute. Years ago actor Bill Murray named his son Homer Banks Murray.

Photos courtesy of Charlie Adams blog

The Cubs were almost always bad throughout Banks’ 19 year career, yet he predicted a championship each and every spring. On opening day one frigid April afternoon, he told a teammate that at least they didn’t have to worry about overheating.

Here are some of the things he said over the years:

“But it all comes down to friendship, treating people right.”

“Digging for gold is more important than the gold itself.”

“Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I’ve ever thought I’d have.”

“You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren’t happy in one place, chances are you won’t be happy anyplace.”

Bill Moor is a retired columnist for the South Bend Tribune. This past Sunday he shared what an impact Ernie had made on him:

“Gosh, I loved that man who left this world all too suddenly on Jan. 23 at the age of 83. The reminders of him are plenty in my den – pictures, baseball cards, his signature on balls and a Cub cap, a figurine of him in his batting stance. I named our hound dog after him only because my wife objected when I suggested we name our younger son Ernie.

Security codes and passwords usually contain at least a part of his name or number. And check out my email address – ern14est@yahoo.com.

Childish stuff? Probably a little. But that’s sort of the point. Nothing reminds me of my childhood more than just the mention of his name, Ernie Banks. Whether it be Johnny U., Wilt the Stilt or Arnie Palmer, we all need our heroes while growing up, and Ernie was mine.

He showed kids like me how to win and lose gracefully … how to persevere … and how to embrace and enjoy all the challenges before us. Yeah, he was much more than just a great baseball player.

On the complicated subject of race, I’m not sure I can measure how much he influenced my feelings. I do know he was a part of it – my own subtle version of Martin Luther King Jr. in blue pinstripes.” – Bill Moor, columnist

In 1953 he was the first black player to ever play for the Cubs, six years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. Ernie handled the challenges with great dignity.

“My philosophy about race relations is that I’m the man and I’ll set my own patterns in life. I don’t rely on anyone else’s opinions. I look at a man as a human being; I don’t care about his color,” Banks once said. “Some people feel that because you are black you will never be treated fairly, and that you should voice your opinions, be militant about them. I don’t feel this way. You can’t convince a fool against his own will. If a man doesn’t like me because I’m black, that’s fine. I’ll just go elsewhere, but I’m not going to let him change my life.”

I have read a lot of stories about Ernie since he passed away, and it is remarkable how he is remembered far more for his unwavering optimistic attitude than the fact he was a Hall of Fame baseball player.

This was a guy who had 18 different managers in his 19 years. That would be like you or me having a different boss at work every year, yet he stayed upbeat. He was extremely talented. During one 5 year stretch he hit more home runs than either Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. Yet he always remained humble.

Ernie had big dreams and dedicated himself to community service after he retired as a ball player. He said he had a recurring dream of him standing on a stage in Stockholm accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. While he never received that, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Jackie Robinson said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

Ernie Banks certainly made a positive impact on many, many lives.

Peak Performance speaker Charlie Adams is a 1980 grad of Lafayette High who is an Ole Miss alum. His new motivational keynote More Than a Miracle is a powerful description of the greatest moment in United Sports history. He shares how a group of college kids upset the best team in hockey history in Lake Placid in the winter of 1980, and galvanized America along the way.

“I literally had to choke back tears about 5 times during this Talk. Now I now feel as if I can do anything! ANYTHING!!” – Christopher Pataro, lawyer

“As powerful a motivational talk as I have heard in 40 years.” – Bob Bayliss, former tennis coach at Notre Dame and Navy

Charlie can be reached at charlie@stokethefirewithin.com