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Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks
The definitive and revealing biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, one of America's most iconic, beloved, and misunderstood baseball players, by acclaimed journalist Ron Rapoport.
Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. He outslugged Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle when they were in their prime, but while they made repeated World Series appearances in the 1950s and 60s, Banks spent his entire career with the woebegone Chicago Cubs, who didn't win a pennant in his adult lifetime.
Today, Banks is remembered best for his signature phrase, "Let's play two," which has entered the American lexicon and exemplifies the enthusiasm that endeared him to fans everywhere. But Banks's public display of good cheer was a mask that hid a deeply conflicted, melancholy, and often quite lonely man. Despite the poverty and racism he endured as a young man, he was among the star players of baseball's early days of integration who were reluctant to speak out about Civil Rights. Being known as one of the greatest players never to reach the World Series also took its toll. At one point, Banks even saw a psychiatrist to see if that would help. It didn't. Yet Banks smiled through it all, enduring the scorn of Cubs manager Leo Durocher as an aging superstar and never uttering a single complaint.
Let's Play Two is based on numerous conversations with Banks and on interviews with more than a hundred of his family members, teammates, friends, and associates as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources. Together, they explain how Banks was so different from the caricature he created for the public. The book tells of Banks's early life in segregated Dallas, his years in the Negro Leagues, and his difficult life after retirement; and features compelling portraits of Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant race of 1969, and much more from a long-lost baseball era.
Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. He outslugged Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle when they were in their prime, but while they made repeated World Series appearances in the 1950s and 60s, Banks spent his entire career with the woebegone Chicago Cubs, who didn't win a pennant in his adult lifetime.
Today, Banks is remembered best for his signature phrase, "Let's play two," which has entered the American lexicon and exemplifies the enthusiasm that endeared him to fans everywhere. But Banks's public display of good cheer was a mask that hid a deeply conflicted, melancholy, and often quite lonely man. Despite the poverty and racism he endured as a young man, he was among the star players of baseball's early days of integration who were reluctant to speak out about Civil Rights. Being known as one of the greatest players never to reach the World Series also took its toll. At one point, Banks even saw a psychiatrist to see if that would help. It didn't. Yet Banks smiled through it all, enduring the scorn of Cubs manager Leo Durocher as an aging superstar and never uttering a single complaint.
Let's Play Two is based on numerous conversations with Banks and on interviews with more than a hundred of his family members, teammates, friends, and associates as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources. Together, they explain how Banks was so different from the caricature he created for the public. The book tells of Banks's early life in segregated Dallas, his years in the Negro Leagues, and his difficult life after retirement; and features compelling portraits of Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant race of 1969, and much more from a long-lost baseball era.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2019
77 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Ron Rapoport
18 books2 followersRon Rapoport was a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than twenty years and also wrote for the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, and the Associated Press. He served as the sports commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition for two decades and has written a number of books about sports and entertainment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
April 16, 2019
Maybe the years have rolled by and nowadays there might be many who don’t know who said those words and the impact they had on baseball and the nation. To me, they epitomized the character of a fantastic ballplayer, one I thoroughly enjoyed as I spent my youth in the suburbs of Chicago. I still remember my father telling me that even if the rest of the team wasn’t hitting, you could count on Ernie Banks regularly swatting balls out of the park.
Author Ron Rapoport hits a grand slam with his book on Ernie. “Let’s Play Two” is a revealing look at not only a talented athlete, but the man who quietly gave so many years to the Chicago Cubs, a team that spent most of his career out of contention. The book is amazing, and the extensive list of sources – interviews and publications -- explains why.
Along the way, Mr. Rapoport fleshes out the story in many directions. Ernie Banks was brought to the Cubs in the early days when most players were white and fans were still not used to black players on the roster. The author does not shy away from the racism, and recounts numerous stories that are hard to believe 55-65 years later. Players like Banks quietly took the abuse and internalized it.
The glory and the pain of 1969 is relived, bringing back the memories that evince flashes of a rollercoaster ride that climbed to such heights and then swiftly rocketed back down to the bottom. While we see Ernie on this trip, there are plenty of moments that help us to understand the make-up of Cubs roster as well as the rest of the league.
Overall, an informative book that provides plenty of backdrop to help explain the central character. Ernie Banks was a hometown hero and the player that every team in the league wanted to have. Mr. Rapoport artfully explains this in what is probably the best sports biography I have ever read. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advance complimentary copy of this book.
Author Ron Rapoport hits a grand slam with his book on Ernie. “Let’s Play Two” is a revealing look at not only a talented athlete, but the man who quietly gave so many years to the Chicago Cubs, a team that spent most of his career out of contention. The book is amazing, and the extensive list of sources – interviews and publications -- explains why.
Along the way, Mr. Rapoport fleshes out the story in many directions. Ernie Banks was brought to the Cubs in the early days when most players were white and fans were still not used to black players on the roster. The author does not shy away from the racism, and recounts numerous stories that are hard to believe 55-65 years later. Players like Banks quietly took the abuse and internalized it.
The glory and the pain of 1969 is relived, bringing back the memories that evince flashes of a rollercoaster ride that climbed to such heights and then swiftly rocketed back down to the bottom. While we see Ernie on this trip, there are plenty of moments that help us to understand the make-up of Cubs roster as well as the rest of the league.
Overall, an informative book that provides plenty of backdrop to help explain the central character. Ernie Banks was a hometown hero and the player that every team in the league wanted to have. Mr. Rapoport artfully explains this in what is probably the best sports biography I have ever read. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advance complimentary copy of this book.
April 24, 2024
Ernie Banks was a baseball treasure. Let's Play Two was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is a must read for Cub's fans. Heck, it is a must read for anyone who follows baseball!
February 22, 2019
"I always had the feeling that somewhere in there he was running away from pain." - Wes Parker, Los Angeles Dodgers
This was a well-written, but also sad, behind-the-scenes look at one of baseball's brightest personalities. I understood this to be a biographical book about Ernie Banks, and it is, however, this book would be more accurately described as a story about the ups and downs of the Chicago Cubs franchise as a whole during the late 1950s, 60s, and early 70s moreso than a biography, which is usually more narrow in scope. Banks was the major star of the Cubs franchise during those decades, but there is quite a bit of information about other personalities during that era as well, such as Philip Wrigley, Leo Durocher, Ken Hubbs, and other Cubs players and staff (even the Bleacher Bums!). Though I believe the author was trying to portray Banks while giving the reader some context about these other personalities and how they influenced Banks, there were times when I started to forget who I was reading about. Some chapters hardly mention Banks at all, and the story drifts from its main subject multiple times. If you are reading as a Cubs fan (and I am), you won't mind these rabbit trails. If you're not a Cubs fan, it's certainly more information than is necessary, but again, it is all well-written and the book as a whole is an interesting read.
The tone of the story was surprising, however. In some ways after reading this, I feel like I understand Banks better, but in other ways, it seems as though no one really knew him. And this is what seemed to rob Banks of his peace of mind as he grew older and his career and his identity began to fade. He was married four times, but never seemed to find love. He had children, but he didn't get to see them grow up because he was making a living as a baseball player. He had friends during his playing days (and after his career), but maybe they were better defined as familiar acquaintances. The author uses Banks' most well-known catch phrase, "Let's Play Two," to demonstrate his surface-level chipper attitude that he was known for. He then spent most of the book describing how, to an extent, this was just a facade to cover his pain. Some who knew him as an opponent or teammate suspected that his disposition was a pretense, but no one knew how close to the truth this really was. Banks, in his interactions with others, was perhaps most remembered for the way he always drove the conversation back to the other person. He didn't want the focus on himself. He was persistent at deflecting attention.
What is Banks' legacy? As a baseball player, he will always be remembered as one of the all-time greats. He hit over 500 home runs, was a perennial all-star, and was arguably the greatest player in the history of the Chicago Cubs franchise. Professionally, he was bothered that he never was able to play in a World Series. That seems to be the only blight on his career. He achieved everything else that was within his power or ability. As a person, he will always be remembered as someone who brought joy to others, whether through his celebrity or through his encouragement and support. He had faults, as we all do, and these are portrayed appropriately within the pages of this book. Though most everyone seemed to like him, he never seemed to be at peace with himself. No amount of awards, renown, or financial success can bring that to a person, and in the end, it seemed as though what Banks wanted most was someone to just be there and to understand him. And that can be more difficult for a person to attain than anything.
This was a well-written, but also sad, behind-the-scenes look at one of baseball's brightest personalities. I understood this to be a biographical book about Ernie Banks, and it is, however, this book would be more accurately described as a story about the ups and downs of the Chicago Cubs franchise as a whole during the late 1950s, 60s, and early 70s moreso than a biography, which is usually more narrow in scope. Banks was the major star of the Cubs franchise during those decades, but there is quite a bit of information about other personalities during that era as well, such as Philip Wrigley, Leo Durocher, Ken Hubbs, and other Cubs players and staff (even the Bleacher Bums!). Though I believe the author was trying to portray Banks while giving the reader some context about these other personalities and how they influenced Banks, there were times when I started to forget who I was reading about. Some chapters hardly mention Banks at all, and the story drifts from its main subject multiple times. If you are reading as a Cubs fan (and I am), you won't mind these rabbit trails. If you're not a Cubs fan, it's certainly more information than is necessary, but again, it is all well-written and the book as a whole is an interesting read.
The tone of the story was surprising, however. In some ways after reading this, I feel like I understand Banks better, but in other ways, it seems as though no one really knew him. And this is what seemed to rob Banks of his peace of mind as he grew older and his career and his identity began to fade. He was married four times, but never seemed to find love. He had children, but he didn't get to see them grow up because he was making a living as a baseball player. He had friends during his playing days (and after his career), but maybe they were better defined as familiar acquaintances. The author uses Banks' most well-known catch phrase, "Let's Play Two," to demonstrate his surface-level chipper attitude that he was known for. He then spent most of the book describing how, to an extent, this was just a facade to cover his pain. Some who knew him as an opponent or teammate suspected that his disposition was a pretense, but no one knew how close to the truth this really was. Banks, in his interactions with others, was perhaps most remembered for the way he always drove the conversation back to the other person. He didn't want the focus on himself. He was persistent at deflecting attention.
What is Banks' legacy? As a baseball player, he will always be remembered as one of the all-time greats. He hit over 500 home runs, was a perennial all-star, and was arguably the greatest player in the history of the Chicago Cubs franchise. Professionally, he was bothered that he never was able to play in a World Series. That seems to be the only blight on his career. He achieved everything else that was within his power or ability. As a person, he will always be remembered as someone who brought joy to others, whether through his celebrity or through his encouragement and support. He had faults, as we all do, and these are portrayed appropriately within the pages of this book. Though most everyone seemed to like him, he never seemed to be at peace with himself. No amount of awards, renown, or financial success can bring that to a person, and in the end, it seemed as though what Banks wanted most was someone to just be there and to understand him. And that can be more difficult for a person to attain than anything.
July 26, 2019
This is a frustrating book. It notes how Ernie Banks had a carefully cultivated image, where he never let any anger or bad feelings show themselves. But he had some of those feelings inside. The intro section hints that this book will be able to look at not just his facade, but also his inner life. Nope. Never. Not even close. All the book can do is say that he had an inner life.
What's more, most of this book is about the stuff going on around Banks rather than on Banks himself. Yes, it's good to talk about the surroundings of a person in a biography. That gives vital context. But that ain't what happening here. The background isn't providing context to the foreground. The foreground barely exists and gets overwhelmed by the supposed background. Example: There are three chapters on the 1969 Cubs. These chapters cover over 50 pages - about an eighth of the reading material. Banks barely appears in these chapters. Oh, he's there every so often, but no more than, say, Ron Santo. If someone read those chapters in isolation, they'd never guess that this book is a supposed biography of Ernie Banks.
And that happens a lot in this book. There's a chapter on Leo Durocher. There are two chapters on the new players coming to the Cubs in the 1960s. There's a chapter on the Bleacher Bums. There's a chapter on Philip K. Wrigley. There's a chapter on Banks's 2nd wife. Banks is off-stage for a helluva lot of his own biography.
The early chapters on his childhood and the last section on his post-playing career are good. Those are the chapters that actually tell you about Banks. But two-thirds of the book is on his playing career, and Ernie Banks only makes occasional appearances there.
(The book opens with a story of a guy who spent a very long car ride with Banks late in his life, and how Banks opened up to the guy during the car ride, saying things he hardly ever said. That creates a sense that you'll learn all sorts of things about Banks, but ... nope. All Rapoport knows is that the car ride happened).
2.5 stars.
What's more, most of this book is about the stuff going on around Banks rather than on Banks himself. Yes, it's good to talk about the surroundings of a person in a biography. That gives vital context. But that ain't what happening here. The background isn't providing context to the foreground. The foreground barely exists and gets overwhelmed by the supposed background. Example: There are three chapters on the 1969 Cubs. These chapters cover over 50 pages - about an eighth of the reading material. Banks barely appears in these chapters. Oh, he's there every so often, but no more than, say, Ron Santo. If someone read those chapters in isolation, they'd never guess that this book is a supposed biography of Ernie Banks.
And that happens a lot in this book. There's a chapter on Leo Durocher. There are two chapters on the new players coming to the Cubs in the 1960s. There's a chapter on the Bleacher Bums. There's a chapter on Philip K. Wrigley. There's a chapter on Banks's 2nd wife. Banks is off-stage for a helluva lot of his own biography.
The early chapters on his childhood and the last section on his post-playing career are good. Those are the chapters that actually tell you about Banks. But two-thirds of the book is on his playing career, and Ernie Banks only makes occasional appearances there.
(The book opens with a story of a guy who spent a very long car ride with Banks late in his life, and how Banks opened up to the guy during the car ride, saying things he hardly ever said. That creates a sense that you'll learn all sorts of things about Banks, but ... nope. All Rapoport knows is that the car ride happened).
2.5 stars.
May 18, 2019
As a kid I loved following Ernie Banks, lamented that he was never on a good team until the twilight of his career and felt so sad when that finally good Cubs team gave way to the Miracle Mets. So I looked forward to reading this comprehensive biography of him and for the most part, was not disappointed.
The title is a reference to the slogan attributed to Banks, "Let's Play Two" his exuberance for playing baseball leading him to wanting to play a second game that day. Books about sports heroes often lead to disillusioning truth about the myths, but here, the book shows that while there is some nuance and PR behind the famous slogan, it is a just reflection on Banks' attitude toward the game. Which made the chapters about Leo Durocher's mean spirited treatment of Banks at the end of his career all the more infuriating, especially given the refuse to take the bait reaction by Banks.
While Jackie Robinson was the one who integrated baseball, Ernie Banks was not far behind and suffered the indignities of discrimination as did all the early African American players. The author, Ron Rapoport, rightly details that part of Banks' career. Rapoport also addresses the private life of Banks, details the failed marriages, the shortcomings as a father and the post baseball star ups and downs of his life.
I loved the baseball anecdotes, loved the emphasis on baseball during an era when it was still king while enjoying the writing on his non baseball life, though I would recommend this more strongly for those who anticipate reliving the baseball of the fifties and sixties
The title is a reference to the slogan attributed to Banks, "Let's Play Two" his exuberance for playing baseball leading him to wanting to play a second game that day. Books about sports heroes often lead to disillusioning truth about the myths, but here, the book shows that while there is some nuance and PR behind the famous slogan, it is a just reflection on Banks' attitude toward the game. Which made the chapters about Leo Durocher's mean spirited treatment of Banks at the end of his career all the more infuriating, especially given the refuse to take the bait reaction by Banks.
While Jackie Robinson was the one who integrated baseball, Ernie Banks was not far behind and suffered the indignities of discrimination as did all the early African American players. The author, Ron Rapoport, rightly details that part of Banks' career. Rapoport also addresses the private life of Banks, details the failed marriages, the shortcomings as a father and the post baseball star ups and downs of his life.
I loved the baseball anecdotes, loved the emphasis on baseball during an era when it was still king while enjoying the writing on his non baseball life, though I would recommend this more strongly for those who anticipate reliving the baseball of the fifties and sixties
September 20, 2025
A meticulous and comprehensively researched book on one of Chicago's and baseball's greatest players. While I enjoyed the book greatly, I found its highly-comprehensive account of Banks' time on the Cubs to be a little distracting from the story of Ernie. I learned a great deal about the history of the Cubs, including its owners' ticks, its managers, the Bleacher Bums and the pennant race of '69, but at times it seemed like Ernie was playing second fiddle to the team's history in his own biography.
I came into this reading with my only knowledge of Ernie Banks being 1. he is Mr. Cub, 2. he said "Let's play two" once and it is now one of the most iconic phrases in baseball. I came out of it with a sense of wonder as to who he was, and an appreciation for the kind-hearted, good natured man that he was to his adoring fans. Most professional athletes are very guarded, and for good reason - there is a lot of people wanting a lot of things from them - but Ernie Banks comes off as a kind-hearted man who loved life and wanted to pass his joy along to others. Though he had some internalized struggles, he never let them show externally, and while this may have hurt his core being and his familial relationships, it certainly left his image as one of legend.
As a ballplayer, I leave this book with an admiration for his love of the game and his attitude that every day he gets to spend at the diamond is a great one. He got paid to play a children's game, and he knew it and he cherished it. That I can respect.
Thank you to Ron Rapoport for creating this work, I certainly enjoyed reading it. I would definitely recommend this to other baseball enthusiasts to read, just know there may be some slow chapters with few mentions of Ernie Banks.
Tangential thought below:
I am struck throughout the book at just how professionalized sports have become in America. Long gone are the days when fans, in celebration, rush on the field and have a time living in the ecstasy of a win. Even high school football games have security on the field that separates the crowd from the sideline. If there is a storming of the field, in college for instance, there is a monetary fine that goes with it and a "public reprimand" signaling that this was bad and there should be shame. Really? Sports give us feelings of hope and joy, jubilance and despair. These are feelings that we don't get every day, let us engage those feelings through sport and bask in their impact on our being - it is all fleeting anyway as the clock of time ticks on to the next game or season.
There is a wall that has been built between fans and players/coaches for the players' protection that is only broken down in very specific instances. I think it was a slow build to get to this place, and now that we are here, I doubt it can go back. A lot of this stems from money, be it the financial asset the players are to their franchises or the gambler who blames their personal misfortune on the performance of an athlete who couldn't care less about an abstract outcome like that, the more money in sport the more disassociation there will be.
I think we are also heading down a dark road in sports where the average fan is priced out of games because a more luxurious experience nets the teams more money. "Premium seating" is the in thing for teams to add to their stadium, and it is being brought in while reducing capacity. As I mentioned earlier, we watch sports to feel, you don't feel things watching on your couch as strongly as you would in the stadium. So, teams, focus on getting more people in the door and making it affordable to go to a game, luxury spaces and amenities are fine, but don't let them price out the people. We want to be there, we want to see it in person, but it can't be a strain on an individual's budget to go to a game, that is unfair to everyone. And to the public, go to games. Be there with your community experiencing what sports have to offer. I know its convenient to watch from your couch, but you will remember being there with 20, 40, 80, 100 thousand friends (depending on the sport) all united in cheering on your team to victory.
This book illustrates the shift in sports teams being a public good, which they are, to a private enterprise no different than a Fortune 500 company. "You've got to just have an awful lot of money play ball these days," said William Hagenah Jr., Phillip Wrigley's son-in-law on William Wrigley III selling the team. While I do concur with the sentiment that it is costing a lot of money to own and operate teams, I don't think the solution is to make the enterprise operate with the goal of profit maximization. Breakeven, in an idealistic sense, should suffice for sports teams. They exist for the community, they exist to bring people together. Without the community and its interest, they would be nothing, yet that's not how teams see their fans. They see the fans as a vehicle to deliver revenue, just look at the Oakland A's departure for "greener pastures." Trends like this, with money taking over the priority instead of putting out a winning team and being a community staple, terrifies me for the future of American sports going forward.
Other thoughts/quotes:
"''I never said, 'why do they have that and I don't?' [Ernie Banks] said many years later. 'We didn't look at other folks. We just lived for the moment and had fun.''" (pg. 14). Ernie Banks seems to be one of the gentlest people there ever was. He didn't look for confrontation, he didn't get upset. He was just perfectly content with everything he had and that was good enough for him.
Fascinating tidbit on page 79 that the Negro League's annual East-West All-Star Game was the first fan-selected all-star game in the country. Now, every major league's all stars are chosen by the fan vote, and this was pioneered by the Negro Leagues. I never knew that before.
In Chapter 14, the history of the phrase, "Let's play two," is analyzed and it seems there isn't one story as to when, where and why Ernie Banks said it. It seems like the most accepted story is that he said "let's play two" in reference to a doubleheader in Houston in July, so it's original message was tongue in cheek, but grew to be something he, and the world, embraced. It is also a fun note that Ernie Banks was the one to give Wrigley Field the moniker of "The Friendly Confines."
I came into this reading with my only knowledge of Ernie Banks being 1. he is Mr. Cub, 2. he said "Let's play two" once and it is now one of the most iconic phrases in baseball. I came out of it with a sense of wonder as to who he was, and an appreciation for the kind-hearted, good natured man that he was to his adoring fans. Most professional athletes are very guarded, and for good reason - there is a lot of people wanting a lot of things from them - but Ernie Banks comes off as a kind-hearted man who loved life and wanted to pass his joy along to others. Though he had some internalized struggles, he never let them show externally, and while this may have hurt his core being and his familial relationships, it certainly left his image as one of legend.
As a ballplayer, I leave this book with an admiration for his love of the game and his attitude that every day he gets to spend at the diamond is a great one. He got paid to play a children's game, and he knew it and he cherished it. That I can respect.
Thank you to Ron Rapoport for creating this work, I certainly enjoyed reading it. I would definitely recommend this to other baseball enthusiasts to read, just know there may be some slow chapters with few mentions of Ernie Banks.
Tangential thought below:
I am struck throughout the book at just how professionalized sports have become in America. Long gone are the days when fans, in celebration, rush on the field and have a time living in the ecstasy of a win. Even high school football games have security on the field that separates the crowd from the sideline. If there is a storming of the field, in college for instance, there is a monetary fine that goes with it and a "public reprimand" signaling that this was bad and there should be shame. Really? Sports give us feelings of hope and joy, jubilance and despair. These are feelings that we don't get every day, let us engage those feelings through sport and bask in their impact on our being - it is all fleeting anyway as the clock of time ticks on to the next game or season.
There is a wall that has been built between fans and players/coaches for the players' protection that is only broken down in very specific instances. I think it was a slow build to get to this place, and now that we are here, I doubt it can go back. A lot of this stems from money, be it the financial asset the players are to their franchises or the gambler who blames their personal misfortune on the performance of an athlete who couldn't care less about an abstract outcome like that, the more money in sport the more disassociation there will be.
I think we are also heading down a dark road in sports where the average fan is priced out of games because a more luxurious experience nets the teams more money. "Premium seating" is the in thing for teams to add to their stadium, and it is being brought in while reducing capacity. As I mentioned earlier, we watch sports to feel, you don't feel things watching on your couch as strongly as you would in the stadium. So, teams, focus on getting more people in the door and making it affordable to go to a game, luxury spaces and amenities are fine, but don't let them price out the people. We want to be there, we want to see it in person, but it can't be a strain on an individual's budget to go to a game, that is unfair to everyone. And to the public, go to games. Be there with your community experiencing what sports have to offer. I know its convenient to watch from your couch, but you will remember being there with 20, 40, 80, 100 thousand friends (depending on the sport) all united in cheering on your team to victory.
This book illustrates the shift in sports teams being a public good, which they are, to a private enterprise no different than a Fortune 500 company. "You've got to just have an awful lot of money play ball these days," said William Hagenah Jr., Phillip Wrigley's son-in-law on William Wrigley III selling the team. While I do concur with the sentiment that it is costing a lot of money to own and operate teams, I don't think the solution is to make the enterprise operate with the goal of profit maximization. Breakeven, in an idealistic sense, should suffice for sports teams. They exist for the community, they exist to bring people together. Without the community and its interest, they would be nothing, yet that's not how teams see their fans. They see the fans as a vehicle to deliver revenue, just look at the Oakland A's departure for "greener pastures." Trends like this, with money taking over the priority instead of putting out a winning team and being a community staple, terrifies me for the future of American sports going forward.
Other thoughts/quotes:
"''I never said, 'why do they have that and I don't?' [Ernie Banks] said many years later. 'We didn't look at other folks. We just lived for the moment and had fun.''" (pg. 14). Ernie Banks seems to be one of the gentlest people there ever was. He didn't look for confrontation, he didn't get upset. He was just perfectly content with everything he had and that was good enough for him.
Fascinating tidbit on page 79 that the Negro League's annual East-West All-Star Game was the first fan-selected all-star game in the country. Now, every major league's all stars are chosen by the fan vote, and this was pioneered by the Negro Leagues. I never knew that before.
In Chapter 14, the history of the phrase, "Let's play two," is analyzed and it seems there isn't one story as to when, where and why Ernie Banks said it. It seems like the most accepted story is that he said "let's play two" in reference to a doubleheader in Houston in July, so it's original message was tongue in cheek, but grew to be something he, and the world, embraced. It is also a fun note that Ernie Banks was the one to give Wrigley Field the moniker of "The Friendly Confines."
May 27, 2019
A very good biography of Ernie Banks but also an excellent history of the Cubs and baseball during that time. Well written and easy to read.
July 25, 2019
"We've got the setting: sunshine, fresh air, and a team behind us. Let's play two!" So began Ernie Banks' Hall of Fame induction speech. That is the way he is frozen in this loyal Cub fan's mind: Upbeat, positive, and in love with the game.
He brought so much joy to so many of us, it made me sad to learn how complicated Ernie's real life was. Pathologically conflict averse, he withdrew when the going got tough. And that meant four divorces and periodic estrangement from his children. When he went to the White House to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2013, he invited his old Cub teammates and Cub management to accompany him, instead of his adult children. Friends drift in and out of his life. I wish his personal life had been happier, more settled.
Race played a much bigger role in his life than I realized. He always appeared so happy, I never thought about the responsibility and challenges he faced as the Cubs first black player. Not being able to eat in the same restaurant as his teammates, or even stay at the same hotel during spring training. Racially insensitive or hostile taunts from the stands. And the unrelenting glare of the spotlight and the weight of being a role model.
But oh! What a player! As he saw the game, it was about him and the ball. He hit the ball, he caught the ball, he threw the ball. For a man who seemed to have ADD, his concentration on the diamond was awesome. The dignity that he showed during the Durocher years is heartbreaking, too.
Ernie deserved better from life. He not only never played in a World Series, he died before he could see the Cubs win it all in 2016. But this book gives him his due. Rapoport successfully places Ernie in history -- from Dallas in the 30s to Korea and the Negro League, to the abysmal Cubs teams he languished on to the legendary and doomed line up that lost it all to the Mets. The context is important, and I'm grateful I learned about a life I thought I knew so well.
He brought so much joy to so many of us, it made me sad to learn how complicated Ernie's real life was. Pathologically conflict averse, he withdrew when the going got tough. And that meant four divorces and periodic estrangement from his children. When he went to the White House to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2013, he invited his old Cub teammates and Cub management to accompany him, instead of his adult children. Friends drift in and out of his life. I wish his personal life had been happier, more settled.
Race played a much bigger role in his life than I realized. He always appeared so happy, I never thought about the responsibility and challenges he faced as the Cubs first black player. Not being able to eat in the same restaurant as his teammates, or even stay at the same hotel during spring training. Racially insensitive or hostile taunts from the stands. And the unrelenting glare of the spotlight and the weight of being a role model.
But oh! What a player! As he saw the game, it was about him and the ball. He hit the ball, he caught the ball, he threw the ball. For a man who seemed to have ADD, his concentration on the diamond was awesome. The dignity that he showed during the Durocher years is heartbreaking, too.
Ernie deserved better from life. He not only never played in a World Series, he died before he could see the Cubs win it all in 2016. But this book gives him his due. Rapoport successfully places Ernie in history -- from Dallas in the 30s to Korea and the Negro League, to the abysmal Cubs teams he languished on to the legendary and doomed line up that lost it all to the Mets. The context is important, and I'm grateful I learned about a life I thought I knew so well.
February 20, 2022
Baseball by the Book #260 - 061620: "Author Ron Rapoport had numerous conversations with Ernie Banks in anticipation of collaborating on an autobiography with the Hall of Fame slugger. That book never materialized, but Rapoport was able to put those interviews — and more than 100 others — to to use in writing the definitive account of a complicated man who hid behind the legend of Mr. Cub."
May 16, 2024
I was looking for an easy to read baseball player bio, but this is so surprisingly so much more. Very well written, even non baseball fans will enjoy this book. Gives details of segregation and poverty in 1940s Texas; some history of the Negro League baseball; as well as segregation and bigotry in 1950s Chicago. This book includes short bios of important people from Bank's life. I highly recommended this book.
February 11, 2020
A well researched biography.
June 10, 2021
Fascinating and inspiring to learn more about the life of the greatest Cub ever!
February 17, 2025
(3.5/5)
A good, not great biography. For a biography of Ernie Banks, I wish it featured Ernie Banks more and the people around him less.
A good, not great biography. For a biography of Ernie Banks, I wish it featured Ernie Banks more and the people around him less.
April 28, 2019
Ron Rapoport did a good job on Ernie Banks, the problem was his playing for the Cubs. One of the most disorganized franchises in all of baseball which Ron pointed out in this work. The Cubs were so caught up in losing that many a career was destroyed, over rated by the fans, and hard pressed to find a manager that could lead. Ernie was without a doubt one very gifted ballplayer whose positive thinking and behavior captured an entire city as well as baseball fans. What I did not care for in this book was the mentioning of a false face, why be so critical towards one delightful ballplayer who loved the game. Time may not ever see another Ernie Banks with all his gifts and faults he was a lovable human at heart.
October 21, 2019
This book didn't seem to focus on Ernie Banks so much as it did stories about the Cubs during the time Banks played for them.
It had a very confusing timeline to follow, and often repeated content from previous chapters because the story jumped from one time period to another.
It was interesting and I'm happy to have read it, learning so much more about the Cubs and even the MLB in the 1960s.
It had a very confusing timeline to follow, and often repeated content from previous chapters because the story jumped from one time period to another.
It was interesting and I'm happy to have read it, learning so much more about the Cubs and even the MLB in the 1960s.
June 17, 2020
Ernie plays a supporting character in his own biography.
January 19, 2024
Fascinating story of Banks, the Negro Leagues, the early MLB, the Cubs, and Chicago. Rapoport’s biography excels in its use of primary sources and by employing a great level of detail. A must for every serious Cub fan, and recommended for those who was to learn about an extraordinary 20th century man.
Painfully shy and staying out of trouble as a boy in a big, poor family in Dallas, as soon as trouble started brewing, he wasn’t to be found. Sports was one of the great ways of socializing, learning excellence, staying out of trouble, and upward mobility for poor Blacks in Dallas at the time. Banks was *skinny* when he started playing football - the kids didn’t have leather balls, so they would play with a large empty can of tomatoes, where if they didn’t catch it right, they’d cut their hands on the metal. His dad loved playing baseball; Ernie tagged along for games, learning the sport. It wasn’t until he saw baseball as a chance to make some money - and have fun traveling - that he started getting serious.
Through the Negro Leagues, under the tutelage of Buck O’Neil, Ernie eventually made it to the big leagues in 1953, becoming the first Black Cub and one of the first to break the color barrier after Jackie Robinson. (Gene Baker, Ernie’s would-be buddy and mentor, should have been the Cubs’ first Black player, and in a sense he was. He has pulled a muscle after signing his contract, so when Banks’ contract was purchased from the Kansas City Monarchs a week after Baker, Banks became the first Black man to play for the Cubs.) Ernie commuted to Wrigley from the South Side, where Black people began to live during the Great Migration. “We lived south, the other players lived north. There was no interaction at all, other than on the field, in the locker room, and on the train” (88).
Philip K. Wrigley was an inventor, a fine capitalist, and not much of a baseball team owner. He was humane, and he looked out for Ernie. He was an experimenter. But he didn’t win. Ernie dealt with losing by focusing only on him and the ball so he wouldn’t get depressed by the circumstances. He became kind of Zen in this way. He became beautiful to behold but utterly alone. With his smiling, cheerful, “Let’s Play Two” persona Banks “created an image he could use to his advantage when he was out in public, while still being able to retreat ever more deeply into the privacy he craved” (148). One prominent Chicagoan who knew him said: “He was a tortured soul. He just hid it very well.”
He focused on baseball. Not so much Civil Rights Movement, nor his family in a significant way. Timuel Black, Chicago’s nonagenarian civil rights activist and historian said, “Ernie Banks and the black athletes of that time personified [staying cool] in the world they had to live in. Be cool. Ernie Banks was not just a baseball player. He has to adjust to the social and cultural world he had to live in if he was going to be successful. And he was” (218). His lead by example approach frustrated militants but it had merit nonetheless. Jesse Jackson said, “Ernie internalized his pain” (219). His son asked Ernie later in life: “Daddy, where were you all the times that [Civil Rights] struggle was going on?” “I could only answer one way: ‘I was playing baseball.’ That was the struggle” (219).
They kept losing, but Banks shone, winning hitting awards, two MVPs, All Star nominations, and the adoration of Chicago. And then 1969 came. Banks was now 38 and the entire Cubs infield - Don Kessinger, Ron Santo, Glenn Beckert, and Randy Hundley - at one played played at the All Star game that year. Ferguson Jenkins led the league in strikeouts with 21 wins, and they had Billy Williams hitting .293, too. It was like they were unstoppable. The Bleacher Bums had come of age, but under Leo “The Lip” Derocher, they couldn’t hold on against the Mets, and all of Chicago deflated. When the season came to its close, Ernie pulled over on his drive home along Lake Michigan and wept. They would be "the most celebrated second-place team in the history of baseball."
Banks became Wrigley’s elder statesman. Even as dementia came on and his health was struggling, he always felt right when he was at Wrigley. His statue there and his Presidential Medal of Freedom honor in 2008 remain among his great legacies.
Painfully shy and staying out of trouble as a boy in a big, poor family in Dallas, as soon as trouble started brewing, he wasn’t to be found. Sports was one of the great ways of socializing, learning excellence, staying out of trouble, and upward mobility for poor Blacks in Dallas at the time. Banks was *skinny* when he started playing football - the kids didn’t have leather balls, so they would play with a large empty can of tomatoes, where if they didn’t catch it right, they’d cut their hands on the metal. His dad loved playing baseball; Ernie tagged along for games, learning the sport. It wasn’t until he saw baseball as a chance to make some money - and have fun traveling - that he started getting serious.
Through the Negro Leagues, under the tutelage of Buck O’Neil, Ernie eventually made it to the big leagues in 1953, becoming the first Black Cub and one of the first to break the color barrier after Jackie Robinson. (Gene Baker, Ernie’s would-be buddy and mentor, should have been the Cubs’ first Black player, and in a sense he was. He has pulled a muscle after signing his contract, so when Banks’ contract was purchased from the Kansas City Monarchs a week after Baker, Banks became the first Black man to play for the Cubs.) Ernie commuted to Wrigley from the South Side, where Black people began to live during the Great Migration. “We lived south, the other players lived north. There was no interaction at all, other than on the field, in the locker room, and on the train” (88).
Philip K. Wrigley was an inventor, a fine capitalist, and not much of a baseball team owner. He was humane, and he looked out for Ernie. He was an experimenter. But he didn’t win. Ernie dealt with losing by focusing only on him and the ball so he wouldn’t get depressed by the circumstances. He became kind of Zen in this way. He became beautiful to behold but utterly alone. With his smiling, cheerful, “Let’s Play Two” persona Banks “created an image he could use to his advantage when he was out in public, while still being able to retreat ever more deeply into the privacy he craved” (148). One prominent Chicagoan who knew him said: “He was a tortured soul. He just hid it very well.”
He focused on baseball. Not so much Civil Rights Movement, nor his family in a significant way. Timuel Black, Chicago’s nonagenarian civil rights activist and historian said, “Ernie Banks and the black athletes of that time personified [staying cool] in the world they had to live in. Be cool. Ernie Banks was not just a baseball player. He has to adjust to the social and cultural world he had to live in if he was going to be successful. And he was” (218). His lead by example approach frustrated militants but it had merit nonetheless. Jesse Jackson said, “Ernie internalized his pain” (219). His son asked Ernie later in life: “Daddy, where were you all the times that [Civil Rights] struggle was going on?” “I could only answer one way: ‘I was playing baseball.’ That was the struggle” (219).
They kept losing, but Banks shone, winning hitting awards, two MVPs, All Star nominations, and the adoration of Chicago. And then 1969 came. Banks was now 38 and the entire Cubs infield - Don Kessinger, Ron Santo, Glenn Beckert, and Randy Hundley - at one played played at the All Star game that year. Ferguson Jenkins led the league in strikeouts with 21 wins, and they had Billy Williams hitting .293, too. It was like they were unstoppable. The Bleacher Bums had come of age, but under Leo “The Lip” Derocher, they couldn’t hold on against the Mets, and all of Chicago deflated. When the season came to its close, Ernie pulled over on his drive home along Lake Michigan and wept. They would be "the most celebrated second-place team in the history of baseball."
Banks became Wrigley’s elder statesman. Even as dementia came on and his health was struggling, he always felt right when he was at Wrigley. His statue there and his Presidential Medal of Freedom honor in 2008 remain among his great legacies.
May 10, 2019
Mr. Cub. No one person encapsulates what is (or used to mean) to be a Cubs fan. Although we are not, at this time, associated with misery and losing, it is a fabric of our history and legacy. Poor Ernie Banks is what I have to say at the end of this book. It’s predictable, really, that someone that built his reputation as ‘Mr. Sunshine’ would hide a lot of pain and discomfort. You get stuck in a role to play that people come to expect. I see it all the time in my life. Hell, everyone does it to an extent.
All of those years of playing for wretched Cubs teams took its toll. It’s commendable--remarkable even--that he was able to stay so upbeat. Maybe that was the only natural response to such misery. One thing is for certain: the Chicago Cubs did not deserve Ernie Banks. You get some interesting insights into other characters in Banks’ heyday. Philip K. Wrigley, for example, was a doofus of an owner. People often wonder how the Cubs could be inept for so long and the number one reason is ownership. The man did not know how to run a baseball team. He came off as just kind of dumb to me. The ‘College of Coaches’ experiment was revised as ahead of its time for the modern specialist coaches (hitting, pitching, etc.) but I really think the writer is reaching there. The issue wasn’t one of specialized coaches but managerial authority. The only thing the experiment did successfully was neuter the managerial position for the Cubs. A headless, directionless ball club. It’s not as if the teams would’ve been world beaters in any case.
And Leo Durocher, jerk extraordinaire. The way he treated Ernie Banks reminds me of how one of my old bosses use to treat me. If only I was as magnanimous and unfailingly non confrontational as Banks was. It’s easy to pin the demise of the ‘69 Cubs on Durocher’s selfish shoulders since he was so unlikable. It serves as further proof that Baby Boomers suffered the most out of all generations of Cubs fans. Just reading about it was a nightmare. The upstart Mets. The crime of optimism from the lowly Cubs which was pinioned by the Mets and Bob Gibson. It’s true that they got ahead of themselves (Banks included) but could you blame them? Nothing but trash and hell since the 40s. Of course they’d get excited.
Banks’ later life was just sad to read about. He seemed lost and lonely. He was determined to only be ‘Mr. Sunshine’ all of the time. He sounded robotic to me. He was all but estranged from his family and the bitter fight over his estate was depressing and predictable. It seems like everyone with money is embroiled in battles after they die. It certainly sounds like this Regina character took advantage of him.
All of those years of playing for wretched Cubs teams took its toll. It’s commendable--remarkable even--that he was able to stay so upbeat. Maybe that was the only natural response to such misery. One thing is for certain: the Chicago Cubs did not deserve Ernie Banks. You get some interesting insights into other characters in Banks’ heyday. Philip K. Wrigley, for example, was a doofus of an owner. People often wonder how the Cubs could be inept for so long and the number one reason is ownership. The man did not know how to run a baseball team. He came off as just kind of dumb to me. The ‘College of Coaches’ experiment was revised as ahead of its time for the modern specialist coaches (hitting, pitching, etc.) but I really think the writer is reaching there. The issue wasn’t one of specialized coaches but managerial authority. The only thing the experiment did successfully was neuter the managerial position for the Cubs. A headless, directionless ball club. It’s not as if the teams would’ve been world beaters in any case.
And Leo Durocher, jerk extraordinaire. The way he treated Ernie Banks reminds me of how one of my old bosses use to treat me. If only I was as magnanimous and unfailingly non confrontational as Banks was. It’s easy to pin the demise of the ‘69 Cubs on Durocher’s selfish shoulders since he was so unlikable. It serves as further proof that Baby Boomers suffered the most out of all generations of Cubs fans. Just reading about it was a nightmare. The upstart Mets. The crime of optimism from the lowly Cubs which was pinioned by the Mets and Bob Gibson. It’s true that they got ahead of themselves (Banks included) but could you blame them? Nothing but trash and hell since the 40s. Of course they’d get excited.
Banks’ later life was just sad to read about. He seemed lost and lonely. He was determined to only be ‘Mr. Sunshine’ all of the time. He sounded robotic to me. He was all but estranged from his family and the bitter fight over his estate was depressing and predictable. It seems like everyone with money is embroiled in battles after they die. It certainly sounds like this Regina character took advantage of him.
October 22, 2019
I didn't know a whole lot about Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. But I get full of baseball nostalgia from time to time, especially during the playoffs.
This book is a well-researched and comprehensive history of Banks, from childhood to death. It does a great job of outlining him as a ballplayer and a person, and is even-handed in its approach to Banks' life and legacy. It breaks through the common, smiley, "let's play two" persona and covers some of the darker moments of Banks' life. I thought it was a complete portrait of someone who could very easily just been idolized without criticism. I ended the book with amazing admiration for Banks' generally positive and friendly attitude, even knowing the issues he had with his family and his general fan base.
His athletic history is presented in a somewhat non-linear fashion and this can be confusing at times. At several times in the book it is mentioned that Banks changed his position from short stop to first base, which leaves you thinking: "hey, I thought he was already playing first base by this time???" There are other similar examples, but this did not detract from the book too much.
There are several other substantial asides in the book which can also be distracting. Yes, you need to understand who Philip K. Wrigley is, but you don't need a whole section of the book dedicated as a mini-biography. Same goes for Leo Durocher and even Ken Hubbs. Again, this did not distract from the book overall but I felt kind of side-tracked when these tangents were presented.
Finally, the audio book narrator is ESPN's Charlie Steiner. He reads the entire book like it's a Sports Center headline. At first I found his intonation and cadence very off-putting but by the end of the book I realized I had just gotten used to it.
This book is a well-researched and comprehensive history of Banks, from childhood to death. It does a great job of outlining him as a ballplayer and a person, and is even-handed in its approach to Banks' life and legacy. It breaks through the common, smiley, "let's play two" persona and covers some of the darker moments of Banks' life. I thought it was a complete portrait of someone who could very easily just been idolized without criticism. I ended the book with amazing admiration for Banks' generally positive and friendly attitude, even knowing the issues he had with his family and his general fan base.
His athletic history is presented in a somewhat non-linear fashion and this can be confusing at times. At several times in the book it is mentioned that Banks changed his position from short stop to first base, which leaves you thinking: "hey, I thought he was already playing first base by this time???" There are other similar examples, but this did not detract from the book too much.
There are several other substantial asides in the book which can also be distracting. Yes, you need to understand who Philip K. Wrigley is, but you don't need a whole section of the book dedicated as a mini-biography. Same goes for Leo Durocher and even Ken Hubbs. Again, this did not distract from the book overall but I felt kind of side-tracked when these tangents were presented.
Finally, the audio book narrator is ESPN's Charlie Steiner. He reads the entire book like it's a Sports Center headline. At first I found his intonation and cadence very off-putting but by the end of the book I realized I had just gotten used to it.
January 22, 2022
Mixed feelings…
I was eager to read a biography of Ernie Banks. I am now 70 years old and have been a Pirates fan my entire life. It’s funny to me, though, that the most vivid (at least in my mind’s eye) memory of watching Home Run Derby 60-some years ago, is that of Ernie Banks. I can still see him smiling while waiting for his turn to swing for the fences. Yes, I think I remember seeing one of my Pirates (Dick Stuart), and I’m almost certain that Mickey Mantle must have been a contestant, too. But I KNOW that I saw Mr. Cub on Home Run Derby. That’s the type of impression Ernie Banks left on me as a youngster.
I only rated the book four stars, not five, and I give you permission to rip me for that. The reason being is that this book took my “Sunshine” away. On one hand, I want to say “Poor Ernie “ for all the myriad problems that he faced. But on the other hand, many of the problems were of his own making.
I was hoping that this book would be a real pick-me-upper, but—for me—it left me feeling pretty down. Maybe had I known at least a little bit about Mr. Banks’s life going in, I wouldn’t feel so down. Maybe what I’m trying to say (poorly) is that had I read a book about Leo Durocher, and found out that he was a no-good loudmouth, I would have been prepared for it—because I would have known he was going into it. I was certainly not prepared for much (most?) of the content of this book.
I was eager to read a biography of Ernie Banks. I am now 70 years old and have been a Pirates fan my entire life. It’s funny to me, though, that the most vivid (at least in my mind’s eye) memory of watching Home Run Derby 60-some years ago, is that of Ernie Banks. I can still see him smiling while waiting for his turn to swing for the fences. Yes, I think I remember seeing one of my Pirates (Dick Stuart), and I’m almost certain that Mickey Mantle must have been a contestant, too. But I KNOW that I saw Mr. Cub on Home Run Derby. That’s the type of impression Ernie Banks left on me as a youngster.
I only rated the book four stars, not five, and I give you permission to rip me for that. The reason being is that this book took my “Sunshine” away. On one hand, I want to say “Poor Ernie “ for all the myriad problems that he faced. But on the other hand, many of the problems were of his own making.
I was hoping that this book would be a real pick-me-upper, but—for me—it left me feeling pretty down. Maybe had I known at least a little bit about Mr. Banks’s life going in, I wouldn’t feel so down. Maybe what I’m trying to say (poorly) is that had I read a book about Leo Durocher, and found out that he was a no-good loudmouth, I would have been prepared for it—because I would have known he was going into it. I was certainly not prepared for much (most?) of the content of this book.
February 2, 2019
I am not a fan of the Chicago Cubs, but I am a fan of Ernie Banks. I have not read any of the previous biographies of Ernie so I thought that I would give this one a try. While the book is an interesting read, I found it to be somewhat disappointing. Half of the book is devoted to other players, coaches and managers of the Cubs during Ernie's tenure with the team. It feels like either filler or the author didn't want to spend time doing indepth research on Banks.
My suggestion is that you read one of the other biographies of Ernie Banks for a more detailed story. I imagine that a reader will enjoy this book more that I did if they are a fan of the Chicago Cubs.
I received a free Kindle copy of Let's Plaly Two by Ron Rapoport courtesy of Net Galley and Hachette Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.
I requested this book as I am a fan of baseball and have always admired Ernie Banks. This is the first book by the author that I have read.
My suggestion is that you read one of the other biographies of Ernie Banks for a more detailed story. I imagine that a reader will enjoy this book more that I did if they are a fan of the Chicago Cubs.
I received a free Kindle copy of Let's Plaly Two by Ron Rapoport courtesy of Net Galley and Hachette Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.
I requested this book as I am a fan of baseball and have always admired Ernie Banks. This is the first book by the author that I have read.
March 28, 2019
This is the first time I am reading anything about Ernie Banks. I know he played for the Cub’s and that he was called “Mr. Cub” This book gave me the information that I had never heard. He was born and raised in Dallas. That he started in baseball with the Kanas City Monarchs of the old “Negro” league”. With Josh Gibson being his coach and mentor. Someone who gave him guidance on and off the field. His time there really prepared him for the major leagues. He would win Home run titles, MVP, RBI, but never played in the World Series. The closet they in 69 they went into a slump at the end of the season after being ahead of the Mets by 8 and a half games. Also speaks about the owner of the Cubs Wrigley, and of course manager Durocher. I found this book to be a good baseball book with the information and showing me what he did in his career. I also found his life to be sad in a way though he got to play baseball he had other issues that seemed to plague him. But overall a good book about someone I did not know about before. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
August 20, 2019
I find with sports biographies at times the author will spend more time discussing the context of the subject rather than the subject. So a championship team that the subject played on, for example, will be discussed in detail with only casual reference to the subject of the biography. This is the case with Let's Play Two. Though there are a lot of good stories about Ernie Banks himself, there are entire chapters pretty much dedicated to Cubs owner Philip Wrigley and manager Leo Durocher (which whetted my appetite to read their bios) as well as the 1969 Cubs near-championship team. While context helps with a biography, too much context can distract, and this is the case somewhat here. But having said that, the book is very well written, and even the tangents are quite interesting, though I think they would be most of interest to any 50+-year old Cubs fan. I did come away with a little more insight into an interesting man who is often a forgotten baseball superstar of the 50s and 60s, overshadowed by Aaron, Mays and Robinson. Recommended for Cubs fans and fans of baseball of the 1950s and 60s.
September 7, 2019
I enjoyed this book. As a lifelong baseball fan who began following the game in the mid-60s, this was a trip down memory lane. Rapoport delivers, not just a biography of Ernie Banks, but really a history of the Cubs during Banks's career. Rapoport gives us insight into the end of the Negro Leagues after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line. Baseball fans not only will enjoy reading about stars like Banks, Billy Williams, Ferguson Jenkins, and Ron Santo, but lesser-know players like Gene Oliver, Rich Nye, Jim Hickman, and Willie Smith. This book is timely since it extensively breaks down the Cubs' collapse in the 1969 race for the first NL East title fifty years ago this summer. The book establishes that Banks really was the nice guy he personified in the public, even when facing attacks from manager Leo Duroucher. Rapaport sets the record straight on many of the negative things Duroucher said about Banks in Duroucher's self-serving biography Nice Guys Finish Last;for me, this book was worth the read if only for that purpose. All serious baseball fans will enjoy this book.
February 23, 2021
Let's Play Two!
No words are more instantly recognizable for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. I idolized Ernie growing up in Chicago as a Cubs fan. I wept unabashedly as I watched his funeral on YouTube. I thought about him as did most if not all older Cubs fans on that most glorious of days in 2016 when we won it all in extra innings. I spent time living in Kansas City and got to see Buck O'Neal and saw him be the face of the Negro Leagues Museum and ambassador for baseball. Later I learned of the very important connection he had to the Cubs and Ernie. In this book, all my baseball memories came to life. Ron Rapoport tells a good story not only of Ernie, but black ballplayers breaking the barriers to enter the MLB, and the ownership of the Cubs trying to steer the ship to victory but never succeeding. Ernie was a complicated man with foibles, but to me and millions of others, he's Hey, Hey, that's number 500. I confess I only skimmed the chapter on 1969. It remains too painful to relive, even with 2016 under our belts. Here's to baseball - brought to life in this fine tome of baseball history.
No words are more instantly recognizable for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. I idolized Ernie growing up in Chicago as a Cubs fan. I wept unabashedly as I watched his funeral on YouTube. I thought about him as did most if not all older Cubs fans on that most glorious of days in 2016 when we won it all in extra innings. I spent time living in Kansas City and got to see Buck O'Neal and saw him be the face of the Negro Leagues Museum and ambassador for baseball. Later I learned of the very important connection he had to the Cubs and Ernie. In this book, all my baseball memories came to life. Ron Rapoport tells a good story not only of Ernie, but black ballplayers breaking the barriers to enter the MLB, and the ownership of the Cubs trying to steer the ship to victory but never succeeding. Ernie was a complicated man with foibles, but to me and millions of others, he's Hey, Hey, that's number 500. I confess I only skimmed the chapter on 1969. It remains too painful to relive, even with 2016 under our belts. Here's to baseball - brought to life in this fine tome of baseball history.
December 19, 2024
A good baseball biography needs three things:
1. A ballplayer who was shaped or shaped by cultural ideas at the time he played.
2. A good player known for his feats on the field with his team.
3. A ballplayer with a big personality.
Here we go. Ernie certainly dealt with his share of racism growing up in Dallas, Texas but not to the same extent as Hank Aaron or Jackie Robinson. He stayed pretty quiet on the race relation issues of the day according to the author.
2. He played for the cubs during the 50’s and 60’s. They were horrible teams. He never played on a world series in his career. Ernie was a steady, reliable baseball player on bad teams.
3. Ernie was pretty quiet. He disappears in this book for long stretches as the author discussed the manager in more detail than Ernie. At times I felt like I knew Ron Santo a bit better than Ernie.
He seems like a nice guy who played for bad teams. I also wish his career stats would have been included in the book. I think they needed to be included. I think because Ernie kept everything inside, it was hard to get to know the man versus the personality that was Mr Cub.
1. A ballplayer who was shaped or shaped by cultural ideas at the time he played.
2. A good player known for his feats on the field with his team.
3. A ballplayer with a big personality.
Here we go. Ernie certainly dealt with his share of racism growing up in Dallas, Texas but not to the same extent as Hank Aaron or Jackie Robinson. He stayed pretty quiet on the race relation issues of the day according to the author.
2. He played for the cubs during the 50’s and 60’s. They were horrible teams. He never played on a world series in his career. Ernie was a steady, reliable baseball player on bad teams.
3. Ernie was pretty quiet. He disappears in this book for long stretches as the author discussed the manager in more detail than Ernie. At times I felt like I knew Ron Santo a bit better than Ernie.
He seems like a nice guy who played for bad teams. I also wish his career stats would have been included in the book. I think they needed to be included. I think because Ernie kept everything inside, it was hard to get to know the man versus the personality that was Mr Cub.
July 14, 2019
Excellent biography on Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. The beginning and the end of the book are pretty typical. It starts with Bank’s humble upbringing in segregated Dallas and his time in the Negro Leagues. It ends with his time after baseball complete with divorces and people fighting over his estate and wishes upon his death. The middle of the book is much different than a typical biography though. The middle acted more like a history of the Cubs from 1953 to 1971. Banks was heavily featured, but it seemed like there were numerous pages that didn’t have anything about Banks. That is not to say this part wasn’t enjoyable, in fact I think I liked this part of the book best. The stories of the ‘69 Cubs, the Bleacher Bums, and all the rest were throughly enjoyably. I didn’t know a ton about the Cubs during this time, and I found it very informative and interesting. It was sad to see his life after retirement, as it seemed he wasn’t truly happy. Overall an excellent biography about one of the most underrated baseball players of all time.
April 30, 2020
Wonderful biography of Ernie Banks. It was very interesting to me to learn of his early years in Dallas and his time with the Monarchs. I was too young to see Ernie play shortstop. By the time I woke up to the glory of baseball, it was 1968 and the Cubs were becoming the team to beat. I will never forget the summer of 1969. Although Randy Hundley was my favorite player, I remember all of the great guys on that team with Ernie at first base as elder statesman. I was however unaware of just how low of a creature Leo the Lip was, between his outright hostility towards Ernie and his apparent lack of interest in his managerial responsibilities. Ernie's best years were spent playing for the inept Cub teams of the 1950s and early to mid-1960s. By the 1970s, he had stayed in the game too long. Yet after leaving the game he was completely lost. The book ultimately left me feeling quite sad that behind my childhood illusion of the ever smiling Banks lay a man of melancholy and loneliness. Rest in peace Mr. Cub.
December 23, 2020
A must read for any baseball fan; covers Banks' life and his professional career which spanned the Cubs' disfunctional years during the '50s and '60s. It's as much about the Cubs as Banks: Mr. Cub. Manager after manager including the manager by committee year 1961; bad trade after bad trade, none worse than trading Lou Brock to St. Louis for Ernie Broglio who was a decent major league pitcher, but definitely not worth Lou Brock; and the bleacher bums. The book is meticulously researched, using primarily first source interviews with team mates, players who played against Banks, sports writers, fans, etc. I skimmed the first portion, which dealt with Banks' early life, and the last portion that dealt with his life after he retired from baseball. The middle portion, dealing with his playing days, is first rate. Banks was a two time MVP, and a member of a small fraternity of players who were elected to the Hall of Fame the first year their name appeared on the ballot. The only thing missing from his resume: a world series appearance.
June 23, 2021
I don't remember the first time I heard the name Ernie Banks as a kid; what I do remember was being instantly fond of him solely because of his name it seemed to instantly imply greatness. It wasn't until middle or early high school when I became a stat junkie that I learned he lived up to his name.
I didn't know that a good deal of controversy surrounded Banks throughout his career all of which he deftly deflected, and hardly any of which he brought upon himself. That he weathered indignities with so much grace and outward friendliness is a testament to who he was at his core: a decent, kind human being, flawed like every single one of us, trying to live his best life. Rapoport does an excellent job of honestly explaining who Mr. Cub was, and intersperses the biographical content with a healthy load of context and some information that doesn't directly involve Banks, which I found enjoyable.
I liked Ernie Banks as a kid. I like Ernie Banks even more now.
I didn't know that a good deal of controversy surrounded Banks throughout his career all of which he deftly deflected, and hardly any of which he brought upon himself. That he weathered indignities with so much grace and outward friendliness is a testament to who he was at his core: a decent, kind human being, flawed like every single one of us, trying to live his best life. Rapoport does an excellent job of honestly explaining who Mr. Cub was, and intersperses the biographical content with a healthy load of context and some information that doesn't directly involve Banks, which I found enjoyable.
I liked Ernie Banks as a kid. I like Ernie Banks even more now.
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