One of the greatest shortstops of all time, Mr.Cub himself, Ernie Banks has passed away. He was 83.

Banks, famous for his homeruns and “Let’s play two!” died Friday of an apparent heart attack. Banks left us just seven days before his 84th birthday.

Banks “revolutionized the shortstop position,” said ESPN writer Tim Kurkjian. “One game in a day wasn’t enough, and when there were two, he wanted three. No one, but no one, loved playing the game more than Ernie Banks. And not many played it better, especially as a young man when he changed, at least for a few years, the way baseball looked at the position of shortstop. He is a Hall of Famer, one of only 26 players who have hit at least 500 home runs. And he is, in every way, on and off the field, Mr. Cub.”

Banks was the greatest power hitting shortstop of the 20th century and possibly ever. His numbers speak for themselves. He had 512 long balls in 19 seasons played. He also maintained stellar defense winning the gold glove in 1960. One of Banks’ most impressive stats is games played. He played the most games in the majors from 1954-1960. Banks played 712 games consecutively. He was also an 11 time all-star.

“Ernie is the best Cub ever. He is easily a top three shortstop of all time. First ballot hall of famer, you name it and Ernie has it,” said senior Jack Lever.

Banks was best known for his play on the diamond but people shouldn’t forget how great of a man he was.

“I met Ernie when I was in the state legislator back in the day. Great ballplayer but an even better person,” said lifelong Cub fan Harold Byers who saw him play in person.

“As I traveled around in baseball then and now, people would ask me, ‘Is Ernie really like that? Is he really that happy all the time?'” said Billy Williams, a Hall of Fame outfielder and teammate of Banks from 1959 to 1972. “I always say, ‘That was Ernie. He was that way every day.’ He’s the most positive guy I ever met. He loved playing the game. Maybe it came from playing in the Negro Leagues, where they had so much fun with the game. I just know that Ernie loved being at the ballpark. He was as genuine as they get. “Banks was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 by President Obama.

Ernie Banks was truly a class act. RIP Mr.Cub.