A word about Ernie Banks (1931-2015)

The great Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas, on this day in 1931.     He died in 2014.

My guess is that most people don't know much about his younger days in Dallas, Texas.

Over the years, I've seen some great players in person and TV.  Sadly, I never got to see Ernie Banks in person but do recall hearing #500 on WGN radio.  

Banks was a great player. Better than that, he was a great human being.  

We will miss Ernie Banks for a long time.

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We remember Jackie Robinson (1919-72)

We remember Jackie Robinson, who was born in Cairo, Georgia, on this day in 1919.     He died October 24, 1972.

Robinson was one of the biggest sports stories of the 20th century, as we see in this biography from his Hall of Fame page:   

At the end of his first season, Robinson was named the Rookie of the Year. He was named the NL MVP just two years later in 1949, when he led the league in hitting with a .342 average and steals with 37, while also notching a career-high 124 RBI. The Dodgers won six pennants in Robinson’s 10 seasons, but his contributions clearly extended far beyond the field.

He retired with a .311 career batting average plus 137 HR & 734 RBI in 1,382 games.

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1865: The House passed the 13th Amendment

On this day in 1865, the US House passed the 13th Amendment.  It was sent to the states for ratification and approved in November.  

President Lincoln just gets better with age. He was the right man at the most critical moment in US history.    A few years ago, a great movie came out about his efforts to pass the 13th amendment that abolished slavery.   

It was a great movie!

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