January 27, 2015 Chicago Tribune Visitation and Memorial Services Set
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January 27, 2015 Chicago Tribune Visitation and memorial services set for Ernie Banks By Paul Sullivan A visitation for Ernie Banks will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Friday in Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Cubs announced Monday. A memorial service will be held at the church at 10 a.m. Saturday. There will be limited public seating available. Fourth Presbyterian is located at 126 E. Chestnut St. in Chicago. A decision on whether the funeral procession will pass Wrigley Field is expected to be made by Tuesday, a source said. Ron Santo's funeral procession circled Wrigley Field, but that's not possible now since Waveland and Sheffield avenues are closed due to the ballpark renovation. A procession could still pass the ballpark on Clark and Addison streets. Also being determined is who will speak at the memorial service. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, who spoke at Santo's memorial, is likely to be one of the main speakers. Those who want to pay tribute to Banks also will be able to visit his statue, which will be installed in Daley Plaza on Wednesday and put on display through Saturday. Cubs spokesman Julian Green said there will be no ceremonies or speeches at the statue. "We are just putting the statue on display as a tribute to Ernie," he said, adding it would be a place for fans to show their respect for Banks. In lieu of flowers, donations in Banks' memory can be made to Cubs Charities, 1060 W. Addison St., Chicago, IL 60613, or by going to cubs.com/give and clicking "Donate now." -- Chicago Tribune Many ways Cubs can honor Ernie Banks at Wrigley Field this season By Paul Sullivan The Cubs plan to celebrate Ernie Banks' legacy this season at Wrigley Field, and no doubt that will include a shoulder patch to commemorate him and a day in his honor. But those are go-to ideas that many organizations employ when a prominent player, announcer or owner dies, and the Rickettses should come up with some unique ideas for someone as beloved as Mr. Cub. Since they're busy trying to get the bleachers completed before June, here are some suggestions for the Cubs to clip and save: 'Let's Play Two' Day: Sure, the Cubs are planning a Banks day, and making it a doubleheader is a no-brainer. But that will take some work, particularly in getting league approval and an agreeable opponent. In this era, no one schedules doubleheaders, which tax pitching staffs and are considered an anachronism. But the Cubs made a change last year to ease congestion for the nearby Pride Parade, eliminating one Sunday date and playing two games on a Saturday. The obvious choices as an opponent are the Cardinals or White Sox, but the Cardinals don't play a weekend series at Wrigley, aside from the April 5 opener, until mid-September. The Sox, however, play at Wrigley the weekend of July 10-12, just before the All-Star break. Switching the July 11 game to a doubleheader on the 12th would be the best move, and neither team would have to worry about burning out its bullpen because they would have the All-Star break to rest. The 'Ernie L': The CTA has a popular holiday train that runs in November and December, decorated on the outside and featuring Santa and his elves inside, passing out candy canes. During summer weekends when the Cubs are at home, the CTA could change the holiday train to the Ernie Banks L, running on the Red Line and stopping, of course, at Wrigley Field. Ernie was once on the CTA board, which makes this a perfect mesh of two of his favorite Chicago institutions. Ernie Karaoke: It's no secret Banks loved to sing, and the video clip of him belting out the opening to "Hey Hey, Holy Mackerel" during 1970 spring training has been viewed more than 18,000 times on YouTube. There's no reason the clip can't be a staple of the new jumbo-sized video board and perhaps inspire fans to sing along with Ernie. It could even replace "Go, Cubs, Go" as the postgame song for Cubs victories. Ernie Banks Plaza: A beer company already has the naming rights to the Wrigley bleachers, and a company that makes toilet valves recently bought naming rights to the team's spring training park. The only place left for Banks is the plaza the Cubs will eventually construct between Clark Street and the ballpark. Another company will likely offer the Cubs a large sum of money for the naming rights, but they don't have to sell every square inch of Wrigley Field, do they? 1969 Cubs Reunion: It has been 46 years since that infamous season, and though some are now gone, including Banks and Ron Santo, enough players are alive to come get introduced before a game. It may seem strange to honor a team that didn't win a title, but the '69 Cubs have endured as the most beloved Cubs team of any era, mostly because of Banks, Santo, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. Is it wrong to honor a team that blew a pennant? Who really cares if they do? Sundays at the Park with Ernie: The Cubs have 12 home games scheduled on Sundays. Many could be made into Ernie Banks theme days, with throwback uniforms, music from a particular year and old Ernie videos all day. It wouldn't have to be limited to his Cubs career either. Honoring Ernie by wearing Kansas City Monarchs uniforms for one game would be just as cool. -- Chicago Sun-Times Ernie Banks' visitation, memorial service set for Friday, Saturday By LeeAnn Shelton Visitation and memorial services were announced Monday for Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, who died Friday after suffering a heart attack days before his 84th birthday. A public visitation will take place Friday from noon to 8 p.m. at the Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut, according to a news release issued by the team. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, also at Fourth Presbyterian Church, the statement said. The service begins at 10 a.m. and public seating will be limited. In lieu of flowers, the team is suggesting fans make a donation in Banks’ memory to Cubs Charities, at www.cubs.com/give. Fans also can honor Banks at Daley Center Plaza this week, where the city will display the statue of Banks that usually resides at Wrigley Field. The statue will be on display from Wednesday morning through Saturday. -- Chicago Sun-Times Louisville Slugger honors Ernie Banks with memorial wreath By David Just Louisville Slugger laid a memorial wreath at the Walk of Fame bat honoring Ernie Banks’ prolific career Monday in Louisville. Banks died Friday of a heart attack at age 83. According to a release from the company, Banks signed a bat contract with Louisville Slugger during Spring Training in 1954, his first full season in Major League Baseball. The company had more than a 60-year relationship with him, and he visited the Louisville Slugger factory several times over the decades. Banks used a Louisville Slugger S2 model bat for most of his Hall of Fame career, usually ordering bats that were 35 inches long and weighed 31 ounces. He liked wide grain and a natural finish, according to the company. Banks’ Walk of Fame bat is located located on the southwest corner of Fifth and Main streets in downtown Louisville. -- Cubs.com Visitation, memorial service for Banks to be held in Chicago By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Public visitation and memorial services for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, will be held Friday and Saturday at Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Cubs announced. The public visitation will be from 12-8 p.m. CT at the church, located at 126 East Chestnut Street, Chicago. On Saturday, there will be limited public seating available for the memorial service, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT at the church. Banks passed away Friday after suffering a heart attack. He would have celebrated his 84th birthday on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Banks' memory to Cubs Charities, 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, Ill., 60613, or by visiting cubs.com/give and clicking "Donate Now." There will be a public memorial for fans starting Wednesday at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago. The bronze statue of Banks, which had been moved from Wrigley Field once renovation work began on the 100-year-old ballpark, will be installed at the outdoor plaza until Saturday. Banks, who played his entire career with the Cubs from 1953-71, was the first player in franchise history to be honored with a statue at Wrigley Field in 2008. The Cubs will announce in-season plans to honor Banks at a later date. The team is expected to wear a patch on their 2015 uniforms in Banks' memory. -- Cubs.com Banks, Wrigley formed relationship to remember By Phil Rogers Ernie Banks wasn't just the all-time leader in love of the game. He was at the top of the charts in trust too. At a time when the reserve clause allowed baseball owners to hold onto players almost like personal property, with salaries limited to levels that are now unthinkable, Banks landed in the lap of Cubs' owner Philip Knight Wrigley in September 1953. They formed a lasting relationship that benefited both men. Wrigley, the heir to his father's chewing gum fortune, was a remarkably decent man, known for his generosity in business as well as for treating everyone he knew well.