WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ERNIE BANKS

Today on the blog we spotlight my "1960s Stars of the Game" card for "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks, from my set released back in 2018:

What needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, and rightly so!

 

WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: ERNIE BANKS

Time to post up my "Icons" special custom card for "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks, which will be part of a special custom set later this year in fun deluxe packaging:

The man always looks good no matter what photo you decide to use for a card!

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

And keep an eye out for this set later this year!

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: "MR. CUB" ERNIE BANKS

Up on the blog today we add the great Ernie banks to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which is due for production later this year in multiple series:

This will be a really fun set to issue, celebrating the sport I have loved so much for the past 50 years or so.

What needs to be said about the man?

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: ERNIE BANKS

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we post up my 1969 do-over for the great Ernie Banks, part of my recent custom set correcting the recycling of images Topps was forced to do in the midst of their battle with the MLBPA in the late-60's, resulting in a bunch of cards using the same images, such an Banks' '69 edition:

 

As for "Mr. Cub", what needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, and rightly so!

SPECIAL 1969 "TEAM" CEREAL EXTENSION SET: ERNIE BANKS

Hello all!

Today on the blog we add "Mr. Cub", Ernie banks to my fun 1969 Nabisco Team Flakes "extension" set, adding eight Hall of Famers to the great cereal box set that were "missing" the first time around:

This special set will be produced by yours truly in the near future, as a genuine full-sized cereal box with cut out cards on the back panel, as you see here.

As for Mr. Banks, what needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, with a Hall of Fame induction, and rightly so!

NEGRO LEAGUE TO MAJOR LEAGUE STARS: ERNIE BANKS

Today on the blog, we celebrate the great Ernie Banks and his time as a Negro League player before he took the Majors by storm, added to my 1972 sub-set featuring stars who had their start in the Negro Baseball Leagues:

Banks, whose father Eddie also played in the Negro leagues right after World War I, began his professional baseball career as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs in 1950, still a teenager.

Military service interrupted his playing time in 1951 and 1952 before he rejoined the team in 1953, but only for a little while, as he would be playing with the Chicago Cubs by September of that year, where he would stay until 1971, becoming "Mr. Cub", becoming a BASEBALL fan-favorite until his death in 2015.

I can't find any statistics for Banks' time in the NBL, but his time in MLB is certainly well-documented!

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, Banks was a two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), with 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

Banks, along with others like Buck O'Neill and Yogi Berra, were truly treasures of the sport and of life in general, who were lovable by all, and should be cherished forever.

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2013: 1972 ERNIE BANKS CAREER-CAPPER

On the blog today, thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from almost 10 years ago, my 1972 "career-capper" for the great Ernie Banks:

This was one of my early "career-cappers", posting just a few months after I started this blog in May of 2013.

Here's the original post:

"I missed a day posting for the first time in a long while yesterday. Life reared it's ugly head and kept me busy all day.
But I'm jumping right back in and celebrating the most popular Chicago Cubs player of all-time, Ernie Banks.
"Mr. Cub"  had a nice enough "last card" in the 1971 set, but again I wish Topps would have created a card for the super stars of the game AFTER they retired so we could have gazed upon their final Hall-worthy statistics in the days before the internet.
Besides, it would have been cool to have an Ernie Banks card in the ultra-funky 1972 set. A colorful set for a colorful player.
As for the Banks himself, what else can be said about a two-time M.V.P., 500+ home run hitting shortstop in an era when such a thing was unheard of?
He was just plain awesome, and was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame, getting inducted in 1977."

"STARS RETIRE": 1972 ERNIE BANKS AND JIM BUNNING

Thought it'd be fun to start a new thread here on the blog, creating a special "Stars Retire" card for each year of the decade celebrating elite players who retired the previous season, starting off with a 1972 card for Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Jim Bunning:

 

Beginning with the great Ernie Banks, what really needs to be said about the man at this point?

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

Then we have pitching great (and future long-time politician) Jim Bunning,

As a baseball player he put in 17-years of all-star play, winning 20 games once, but putting together four 19-win seasons along with three 17-win seasons, while leading his league in strikeouts three times and shutouts twice.
The seven-time all-star threw a no-hitter in each league, with his National League no-no a perfect game against the New York Mets in 1964.
He also won 100-games in each league, becoming the first to do so since the great Cy Young at the beginning of the 20th Century.

But I would love to mention one more time how this guy's career record is deceptive (224-184), as he posted multiple no-hitters, the aforementioned 100 wins as well as 1000 strikeouts in BOTH leagues before it became somewhat more frequent with the growth player movement from team to team, league to league.

Also, at the time of his retirement after the '71 season he was second all-time in Major League history with his 2855 strikeouts.

In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.
By then he was already a Representative of Kentucky’s 4th District  for nine years before becoming a State Senator in 1999, a position he would hold until January 2011.

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT: "LOST" 1963 FLEER SECOND SERIES: ERNIE BANKS

On the blog today, we go and add the great Ernie Banks to my "Lost 1963 Fleer Second Series" set, which was released last year as a 20-card pack with cookie:

 

What needs to be said about the man?

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: ERNIE BANKS

The next baseball star featured in my on-going 1970 "In-Game Action" sub-set is none other than Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks:

 

What needs to be said?

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

1970 SPECIAL- THE YOUNG PETE ROSE AND ELDER STATESMAN ERNIE BANKS

Came across this image taken during the 1969 season and thought it would make a fun 1970 “special”, a young reigning National League batting champ Pete rose being held at first by the established clear-cut Hall of Famer Ernie Banks:

Just a wonderful images in the sun of these two legends during a game, which always brings a smile to my face when I sit down to put a custom creation together.
With Rose, the future MLB hit king, along with three batting titles and an MVP in 1973, while being a spark plug for one of the great juggernauts the game has ever seen, the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds of the mid-70s.
With Mr. Banks, you have a two-time MVP who strung together four 40+ home run seasons on his way to 512 blasts over his amazing 19-year career. One of the most well liked players of any generation.
Just a card I wanted to create and add to the 1970 custom stable on the blog.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

ERNIE BANKS MAKES AN APPEARANCE IN THE 1977 SET!

You know, it wasn’t until YEARS after this card was issued that I ever realized that “Mr. Cub”, Ernie Banks was actually in the 1977 Topps set, with his face easily recognizable on the Cubs’ team card:

I’m telling you, it wasn’t until the early-80’s, as a high-schooler thumbing through my cards on a lazy Saturday afternoon that I realized that the legend was there, smiling as always, right in the middle of Dave Rosello, Manny Trillo, the Reuschel brothers and Jose Cardenal!
I was psyched, since at the time the only Banks card I had in my collection were some league-leader cards from the late-60’s since I was a broke teen who’d spend any $$ he did have on Punk records!
Pretty sweet!

FANTASY COACH CARD- 1973 ERNIE BANKS

Here’s a “Fantasy Card” of all-time great baseball player and legend Ernie Banks, “Mr. Cub”, who moved on to coaching for the Chicago Cubs after retiring :

The face of the Chicago Cubs organization, Banks put together a colossal 19-year career that saw him slam 512 home runs, cop two Most Valuable Player Awards, and get named to eleven all-star teams while excelling at both shortstop and first base.
By the time he retired as a player he collected 2583 hits with 1636 runs batted in and 1305 runs scored along with a .274 average over 2528 games and 9421 at-bats.
Needless to say when his eligibility for the Hall of Fame came up in 1977, he was a lock, and was elected on his first try.
Just one of the most well-liked all-around good guys the game has ever seen...

HALL OF FAME #36: ERNIE BANKS: CLASS OF 1977

Our travels through 1970’s Hall of Fame inductees takes us to 1977, and none other than “Mr. Cub” himself, Ernie Banks.
Take a look at my card first:

What needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, and rightly so!

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #34: "MR. CUB" ERNIE BANKS

Time to go ahead and celebrate yet again one of the great's of all-time, and give him a "Nicknames of the '70's" card: "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks.

Here's the card:

What needs to be said?

The most beloved baseball player in the North Side of Chicago, two-time Most Valuable Player (1958 and 1959), 500+ home runs, 2500+ hits, 11-time all-star and all-around great guy.

Oh, I may as well throw in the 1300+ runs scored, 1600+ runs batted in, 400+ doubles and 90 triples he chipped in as well, setting him on a straight path to the Baseball Hall of Fame with his 1977 induction, a no-brainer in anyone's book!

"Mr. Cub", wish there were more like him!

ERNIE BANKS "MR. CUB": JANUARY 31, 1931- JANUARY 23, 2015

Wow, I was so wrapped up in my weekend chores I just found out that all-time baseball legend Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub" passed away yesterday at the age of 83.
An amazing man, an amazing athlete, and an amazing personality that made life for the rest of us that much better.
What more can you say about a person that was able to do something like that?
Just an incredible person that will be sorely missed.
Rest in Peace Sir...
This one really hurts...

THEN AND NOW #13: ERNIE BANKS 1971

My next "super veteran" profiled for the "Then and Now" series is the long-time teammate and fellow Hall of Famer of my last subject (Billy Williams), "Mr. Cub" himself, Ernie Banks.

Take a look at my card design:

He was smiling back on his 1954 Topps rookie, and he kept on smiling all the way to the Hall of Fame as one of the most beloved players of all-time.

512 home runs, two Most Valuable Player Awards, 11 All-Star games, and the face of one of the longest running organizations in the Major Leagues.

How can anyone NOT love this guy!?

An all-time baseball legend by anyone's standards…

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #13: 500 HOME RUNS FOR ERNIE BANKS

Not only are these "highlight" cards a blast to design, but the 1971 cards are especially fun to work with, as the bold black border allows colors to fly off of them!

Today is one such card, celebrating Ernie Banks' 500th Major League home run, which he blasted on May 12th of 1970 at Wrigley Field against the Atlanta Braves.

Take a look at my card design:

Once again,  it would have been nice to have such a card inserted in Topps' set that year.

The photo I used was tagged as a shot from 1970. However I don't think that's correct since he's not wearing a batting helmet.
But it does work with the card so I let it fly, but not before I added a yellow tone over it.

Man, that 1970 baseball season was chock full of highlights! 500 homers by Banks, 3000 hits by BOTH Aaron and Mays, 1000 games by Wilhelm: you think Topps could have really filled out that set nicely with a substantial sub-set!

Then again, they DID issue that beautiful "Greatest Moments" set (that was already too expensive for me to chase even back in the early '80's as a kid!).

Anyway, Banks finally reached the inevitable on that May day, becoming the ninth player in history at the time to reach the milestone.

He'd eventually end his career shortly thereafter with 512 homers, complimenting his awesome Hall of Fame career which saw him retire as the all-time Cubs leader in games, at-bats, extra-base hits, homers and total bases.

Getting inducted into Cooperstown was merely a formality for one of the game's most popular player to this very day.

Hope you enjoy this design as much as I do.

"Let's play two"!!!

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXXIII: 1971 #525 ERNIE BANKS

I have never been a fan of the photo Topps used for Ernie Banks on his 1971 card (#525).

What makes it all the more "important" for me is that it just so happens that this is the last card of Banks' career, and it could have been handled so much better.

Take a look at what Topps had out there in 1971:

What an odd pose for the camera. 

They went to the trouble of having him stand for a photo to be used, yet it looks like they caught him off-guard as he was looking elsewhere about to say something to someone.

Ugh…

I know I must sound petty here, but come on!

What would it have taken to use a better shot of the future Hall of Famer and "Mr. Cub"!?

So I went ahead and used a nicer shot of the most popular Cubs player of all-time and present to you my version:

Nothing colossal or anything.

Just a nice card of Banks during his last year as a Major League player before he retired, on his way to Hall of Fame induction in 1977.

One of my all-time favorite players…

RANDOM QUICKIE: "MR. CUB" ERNIE BANKS IN THE 1972 SET

I was never the biggest fan of the "severed head" Chicago Cubs team cards throughout the 1970's.

I could never get why they had their unique photo year after year when it came to their team cards, while every other team had those full-squad posed shots we were so used to.

Nevertheless, the Cubs' 1972 team card is a bit more attractive than other years, mainly due to the actual card design rather than "official" team photo.

But with the facsimile autographs under each "head", it reminds me of those awesome 1890's team cabinet cards that were popular back then, and believe me, I am a BIG fan of those!

Anyway, one other little treat regarding this card is the fact that Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub", is prominently shown just under the Cubs logo, giving him his only appearance in the 1972 set after he retired in 1971.

 

 

A while ago I designed a 1972 "career capper" for Banks, wishing Topps would have issued a card for him after retirement, but at least we have him on this card.

Along with Banks, we also have three other future Hall of Famers, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo. But except for Williams, the other three Hall members have "small heads", while run-of-the-mill players like Burt Hooten, Hector Torres and Joe Pepitone have huge noggins.

Oh well…