Ernie Banks loved baseball and he loved the fans.
On Friday, the fans loved him back, paying their respects during a public visitation at Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago.
Banks' casket is draped with a No. 14 flag. Above the casket is a huge photo of a youthful Banks in a Cubs uniform. The Hall of Fame slugger died Jan. 23 of a heart attack, just shy of his 84th birthday Saturday.
"Just watching him, you could tell he was the happiest player ever," said Terry Lavery, 60, who traveled from Tucson, Ariz. He pulled up a photo of Banks on his phone from the 1964 season.
"This is a rare opportunity to say goodbye," Lavery said.
Judy Earley, 70, said of Banks: "I'm here because of what he meant to the city, baseball and black people. He symbolized the best of man, the best approach to life. He put whatever was going on aside to always put the best face forward."
Said Dewey Lewis, Banks' longtime friend and golf pro: "We had great times together and played a lot of rounds of golf. And any charity you could name, we did it. From the March of Dimes to cancer research, Make-A-Wish Foundation you name them, we did them for 32 years. Pro bono."
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts attended Friday's visitation and made note of Banks' connection with the Cubs fan base, even several decades after his playing days.
"He was a kind, generous man," Ricketts said. "The reason why Ernie was so loved by the fans was that he gave the love back."
Ricketts added that plans to honor Banks' memory throughout this season are undetermined.
Sen. Dick Durbin connected with Banks personally and as a model citizen, as well as a fan.
"Chicago lost one of its greatest," Durbin said. "I'm glad he's receiving this tribute today. Very few athletes get honored with the (Presidential Medal of Freedom). Ernie was not only a great ballplayer but a great American."
Former Cubs players, as well as former teammates of Banks, also paid their respects Friday.
"You don't think it's real until you see the casket," Hall of Famer Billy Williams said. "He's a person who left lasting memories in Chicago because he met so many people. If he met someone two or three years before, he'd still remember them."
Former Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson talked about the unselfish nature of Banks after Banks' playing days.
"There were many great moments that I had with him, to spend in his presence," Dawson said. "He was an individual that you didn't have to say much around him. He did all the talking. He never really talked about himself or his playing days. But it was more or less on you and your game and current events."
Former Cubs second baseman Glenn Beckert spent an extended period at Banks' casket.
"We're all going to miss him," Beckert said. "It brings back a lot of memories. The times he was with my father in Pittsburgh and he was invited to the house. He and my father drinking whiskey together. Stuff like that."
Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins recalled car-pooling to Wrigley Field with Banks, Williams and George Altman.
"Ernie had a lot of nicknames. I called him AM and FM," Jenkins said. "He was like a radio, you couldn't turn him off. He loved to talk about baseball on the plane and we roomed together."
Jose Cardenal recalled a humorous anecdote involving Banks as the first base coach at the beginning of Cardenal's six years with the Cubs from 1972-77.
"One day I was on first base and I missed the sign from the third base coach," Cardenal said. "So I turned around and looked at Ernie and said: 'Ernie, I missed the sign. What am I supposed to do?' So Ernie told me, 'Well, I missed the sign, too, so you're on your own.'"
Among the speakers at the memorial service at Fourth Presbyterian on Saturday will be Williams, Jenkins and Lou Brock.
Banks' twin sons, Jerry and Joey, also are slated to pay tribute at the service, along with Chicago businessman John Rogers, a personal friend of Banks. Also among those offering remembrances will be Ricketts, Major League Baseball executive and former player and manager Joe Torre.
After Saturday's memorial service, the funeral procession will drive past Banks' statue in Daley Plaza before heading north to pass Wrigley Field.
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