Daily Prayer, 31 January

Back to baseball. I really enjoyed writing baseball stories because, in addition to being my favorite sport, I could access baseball-reference.com from the ship, and there are so many stories in the numbers. This story comes more from the date, though it required some data research, and it illustrates a method I enjoyed using. I got the idea from Mike Rowe, who in turn was influenced by Paul Harvey, both of whom wrote books on my shelf that I turned to for inspiration from time to time. I tried to emulate the slow reveal as a way to keep the crew listening. They seemed to enjoy it.

Born on this date to the catcher of a travelling baseball club in Dallas, TX, he was the 2^nd of 12 children. His father Eddie gave him a ball and glove when he was eight years old, but the boy didn’t like to play, and Eddie would have to pay his son a nickel each time to play catch with him. Then, when Eddie later gave his son a bat, the kid broke so many windows that not only were they always in trouble, but Eddie was going broke replacing them. It cost Eddie a lot of money for his son to play baseball. It would eventually pay off.

After graduating high school, the young man started playing baseball professionally in the Negro Leagues, eventually becoming a starter for “Cool Papa” Bell and the Kansas City Monarchs. But after only one season, the athlete was drafted into the Army and was shipped to Germany, where he served for two years.

His absence didn’t diminish the shine on his star, though, because upon his return to the states a Major League Baseball club paid the Monarchs $20,000 so the Army Veteran could play for them. It, like Eddie’s, was also money well spent.

The rookie never played one day in the minors and still made it into the All-Star game in just his second season. It was the first of 14 appearances he would make there. He finished his first all-star season with a 0.295 batting average, 44 home runs, and 117 RBI. He also hit a record 5 grand slams that year. From that campaign through the next five seasons he collected more home runs (248) and RBI (693) than every other batter in the majors—even Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle. Those other sluggers, however, all got to play in a World Series. In fact, when the slugger was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame on his first ballot, he was the only major league player elected who had never even played in one World Series Game.

Though he would say later that the fact haunted him, you would never have known it. That little boy who had to be bribed to play catch with his father, became a ballplayer famous for suggesting “let’s play two!”

In spite of his titanic achievements on the field, Ernie Banks is probably best remembered for his pleasant demeanor both on and off the field. Although he played for some really bad Chicago Cubs teams, Banks won back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player awards because he refused to let his circumstances determine his performance, or his attitude.

Mr. Cub once said “the only way to prove you’re a good sport is to lose.” Well, Ernie Banks had ample opportunity to prove that he was a great sport. We may never have as many or as public opportunities to prove that we’re good sports, but I pray that we can follow his example and be just as gracious as he was, in both victory and defeat.

LET US PRAY

Heavenly Father, it is difficult to keep pursuing excellence when it seems our efforts don’t matter, keep falling short, or go unnoticed. In all our endeavors make us gracious and humble in victory, proud and unbending in defeat, and always willing to give our best effort whatever our circumstances, remind us that to do otherwise makes us poor sports. Help us to be good sports always, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.

AMEN