With his statue in place, Mr. Cub can live on forever

As he has done ever since his debut with the Cubs in 1953, Ernie Banks brought a little sunshine to the North Side on Monday.

That's because on a raw, rainy day, a day unfit to play two, "Mr. Cub," finally was getting his due.

Thirty-seven years after he retired from the game he loved, from the fans he loved and who loved him back, and from the team he loved, Banks again was feeling the love.

More Coverage Video Cubs unveil Banks statue

During a ceremony just a few feet from the famous Wrigley Field marquee on Clark and Addison, a bronze statue of perhaps the most beloved Cub of all was unveiled.

"This is a miracle," Banks said in a raspy voice brought on by a cold. "This is proof that if you find satisfaction in life, miracles can happen."

Banks had his No. 14 retired in 1982. So with 512 career homers, 11 All-Star Game appearances and a pair of National League MVP awards, it was never a question of if Banks deserved to be immortalized in bronze, but when.

Monday, hours before the season opener at Wrigley Field, was that moment.

"I just wish it had been about 10 or 15 years ago," said Hank Aaron, one of the many luminaries on hand for the event. "You were the greatest ambassador to baseball, and you're still a great ambassador."

Commissioned last summer and sculpted by local artist Lou Cella, the statue portrays Banks at the plate at Wrigley Field in 1959, the year he won his second NL MVP.

"It's well-deserved," said Ferguson Jenkins, Banks' former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer. "Ernie is 'Mr. Cub.' I'm so happy for him."

Banks, 77, personally thanked WSCR 670-AM morning host Mike North and the Rev. Jesse Jackson for helping to get the ball rolling on the whole project.

"We asked (then Cubs president) Mr. (John) McDonough and there was no objection. He said, 'We're going to wait until we build the new triangle building (along Clark),' " Jackson said. "I said, 'But Ernie is 75. Don't wait.'

"Ernie is not the type of guy to push for himself."

But he is the type of guy to enjoy the moment, and for the 500 or so fans packed on the outskirts of the stage and to all the Wrigley Field workers who watched through the chain-link fencing along the ramps inside the stadium, Banks' omnipresent smile showed just how much he appreciated the honor.

"It's been some journey," Banks said shaking his head. "I thank the fans for taking that journey with me."

Then he looked up from the podium.

"Even after I'm not here," he said, pointing up to the sculpture, "I'll still be here."