Update: Brow. Commission Helping Family Cope With Death of Baseball’s Ernie Banks
BY BUDDY NEVINS
You are not imagining it.
That is Broward County Commissioner Mark Bogen on television talking about the death of baseball legend Ernie Banks.
Bogen, long-time Banks’ family attorney, announced the Chicago Cubs player’s death on Friday evening. He has been asked to be part of a Banks news conference in Chicago on Sunday.
“Ernie Banks was the kind of guy, if you met him he didn’t talk about baseball. He wanted to know how your wife was, how you were doing. He was genuinely interested in people,” Bogen recalled Saturday. “He was not one of those arrogant athletes. He would stay until he signed the last autograph. He was genuine. That’s why people loved him.”
The commissioner is legal counsel to the American Association of Professional Athletes, an association of over thousands of retired professional athletes. But he met Banks through another professional athlete long before he represented the association.
Living in Chicago in his 20s, Bogen was lucky enough to meet some of the sports heroes of his youth through his legal profession. “I was introduced and I did some legal work for him…In the 1960s, The Cubs and Ernie Banks were my team,” he said.
The two formed a friendship and Bogen continued to handle some legal affairs for the shortstop and first baseman. One thing Bogen always regretted that the Chicago Cubs’ dismal record kept Banks from baseball’s ultimate goal — The World Series.
“He was an All Star and in the Hall of Fame and a baseball icon, a baseball legend,” Bogen said. “The sad thing was he was never in the World Series. He never got to play in that.”
Here is Bogen’s Facebook page early Saturday morning:
Here is a CNN story mentioning Bogen (They spelled his name wrong):
(CNN) — Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks died Friday in Chicago, family attorney Mark Bogan said. Banks was 83.
“I have been authorized by Liz Banks, Ernie’s wife, to let the media know that Ernie passed away Friday in Chicago,” Bogan said. “The family will be holding a press conference Sunday.”
January 24th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Ernie Banks was a great player and from what I heard a great guy. Brogen I don’t know from Adam.
January 25th, 2015 at 11:44 am
Ernie Banks was one of the greats. One has to wonder what his stats would have looked like had he played for a better team.
I imagine he would be in Willie Mays and Stan Musial and maybe even Ted Williams territory.
RIP
January 27th, 2015 at 8:50 am
I just want every one to know I fully support Louis Granteed in whatever future office he seeks. Also, I want to thank Sheriff Scott Israel for offering me a job in Community Affairs at BSO.