Ernie Banks

Did you hear that? I didn't hear anything. Put that question another way.

The only way to prove that youre a good sport is to lose.

But it all comes down to friendship, treating people right.

People ask me a lot about the values I got from playing for the Cubs for so many years. The value I got out of it was patience. A lot of people these days are not very patient.

It's a kind of philosophy of my own life, to create the energy enough to keep on going.

I learned from Mr. Wrigley, early in my career, that loyalty wins and it creates friendships. I saw it work for him in his business.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without paying taxes.

It would be a lot different for me because there is a lot of information that you need to know about as a player. How pitchers are pitching you, how defenses are playing, certain situations about certain pitchers.

Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have.

I own stock, and I also insure my car with Geico.

No, I think the pitching today has more depth.

Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.

It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!

During my time, there might have been one pitcher or two that were top pitchers on a team. Teams that won maybe had three, but today they have a lot of depth. They have a lot of long relievers, short relievers, and the strategy is different.

The Cubs are due in sixty-two.

It was about 105 degrees in Chicago. And that's a time when everybody gets tired. I came into the clubhouse, and everybody was sitting around, and I said, 'Beautiful day. Let's play two!' And everybody looked at me like I was crazy. There were a couple of writers around, and they wrote that, and it stayed with me.

Another friend hired me to open doors for him in the moving and relocation business. I did that for 10 years, am still doing it. And I do some work for the Cubs, in community relations.

Awards mean a lot, but they don't say it all. The people in baseball mean more to me than statistics.

It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!

The Cubs are gonna shine in sixty-nine.

I don't try to hit home runs. I just try to meet the ball and get base hits.

The only way to prove that you're a good sport is to lose.

Mr. Wrigley believed in this: Put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket. They don't do that today. This is the old-fashioned way I'm talking about. He carried it on to his business. Do one thing and stay with it.

The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money.

Everybody believed you had to have a big piece of lumber and then muscle the ball over the fence. But by the time I and Hank Aaron - another guy who did it with his wrists - were through, there were a lot of guys ordering light bats and playing handball.

I like my players to be married and in debt. That's the way you motivate them.

You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace.