Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks died on Friday at the age of 83, according to a statement released by the Chicago Cubs. Known for his big heart and unbridled joy for the game, Banks' "Let's Play Two!" mantra will forever be remembered by baseball fans. He also played an important part in the Civil Rights Movement, excelling in a mostly-white game during the 1950s and '60s
"Words cannot express how important Ernie Banks will always be to the Chicago Cubs, the city of Chicago and Major League Baseball. He was one of the greatest players of all time," Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said in the team-released statement (via ESPN). "He was a pioneer in the major leagues. And more importantly, he was the warmest and most sincere person I've ever known."
The Dallas native was inducted into the Hall in 1977 after a 19-year career that saw him hit .274 and belt 512 home runs. He was named an All Star 11 times, including eight straight appearances between 1955-1962.
Twitter was especially kind to the Cubs legend this weekend. Here are some of the best tweets:
The sadness I feel about Ernie Banks' death is balanced a bit by today being Bud Selig's last day as commissioner. Banks, only, I'll miss.
— High Heat Stats MLB (@HighHeatStats) January 24, 2015
R.I.P #ErnieBanks I will forever remember our talks. Thank you for paving the way for us Black Ball Players. — Barry L Bonds (@BarryBonds) January 24, 2015
Frank Robinson on Ernie Banks: He loved to be around people. And he loves to talk about everything and anything.
— Jeremy Schaap (@JeremySchaap) January 24, 2015
Spending morning writing about the great Ernie Banks, which brings great joy and sorrow at exactly the same time. RIP Mr. Cub. — Joe Posnanski (@JPosnanski) January 24, 2015
President Obama releases a statement on the passing of Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks: pic.twitter.com/QfV7CTDjD1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 24, 2015
The Chicago Bulls join all of Chicago in mourning the loss of Ernie Banks, a great athlete and even greater man. — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 24, 2015
Forget the baseball talent. The world would be a better place if we all lived with Ernie Banks' spirit. RIP.
— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) January 24, 2015
Woke up to the gut-wrenching news that we lost Ernie Banks. Hope you're up there playing two. pic.twitter.com/gHNjWqKCv5 — MLBcathedrals (@MLBcathedrals) January 24, 2015
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