Chicago Cubs To Honor Ernie Banks Opening Night At Wrigley Field And Throughout 2015 Season

The Chicago Cubs will have a season long tribute to Hall of Famer “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks during Spring Training, Opening Night at Wrigley Field and throughout the 2015 season. This past year, the baseball world lost the legend.

Beginning in Spring Training and continuing throughout the 2015 season, the team will wear a commemorative #14 patch on both its home and away jerseys. The Cubs will open their Spring Training schedule by wearing #14 hats during both split squad games March 5, with additional acknowledgments planned for that day’s opening game at Sloan Park.

Mr. Banks will be honored with a pregame ceremony before Major League Baseball’s Cubs vs. Cardinals Season Opener at Wrigley Field April 5, and each fan attending that night’s game will receive a commemorative pin in honor of the Hall of Famer. Fans will see many other tributes paying homage to Mr. Banks’ remarkable life and career throughout the evening.

“There is no level of recognition that can properly acknowledge how much Ernie Banks meant to this franchise and fan base,” said Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts. “Collectively, we must ensure Mr. Cub’s legacy rightfully lives on at the Friendly Confines and with future generations of baseball fans.”

Inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1977, Banks was a lifelong Cub who played for 19 seasons. He was a 14-time All-Star and back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player in 1958 and 1959. Banks hit 512 home runs in his career, and his 277 home runs as a shortstop remain a National League record. He was the first Cub to have his number retired in 1982, was voted to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team in 1999, and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Banks had just $16,000 in assets when he died last month, a lawyer for his caregiver said in court Tuesday.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that a “bitter” dispute over Banks’ will centers around Regina Rice, Banks’ live-in caregiver and agent. Banks’ family (his estranged wife, Liz Banks, and his sons) have alleged that Rice persuaded him to sign a new will that gave her his complete assets.

[Photo Credit: Source]

Chicago Cubs To Honor Ernie Banks Opening Night At Wrigley Field And Throughout 2015 Season