ernie banks

Has there ever been a player as inextricably linked to his team as Ernie Banks was to the Chicago Cubs? Perhaps not. That beautiful, tragic relationship began 70 years ago this week when Banks suited up for the first time for the team he'd come to represent as Mr. Cub, the first black player to play for the Northsiders. Mike and Bill go back through the bifurcated career of one of baseball's best shortstops and, due to injury, one of its most average first basemen.

Plus, happy birthday to Ezra Sutton and Harvey Haddix!

In honor of Ernie Banks' birthday this week, Luke Stuckmeyer and Tony Andracki play a game of "Let's Play Two" by picking the two free agents that would have been best fits for the Cubs (:30), the two best teams in the National League besides the Cubs (3:15), the two best shortstops in baseball (4:45), and much more. Then, Kelly Crull sits down with Cubs starter Cole Hamels, who discusses his upcoming first full season on the North Side and how the Cubs rotation can be dominant in 2019 (13:15).

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Who are the Top 5 Cubs players of your lifetime? David Kaplan, Kelly Crull, Tony Andracki and Jon Graff provide their lists, with names like Sammy Sosa, Mark Grace, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Ernie Banks cracking the list.

How would this list look 20 years in the future? The panel also tries to predict the Top 5 Cubs of all-time if the list were being made in 2038.

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