Chicago Cubs Madness has come to the semi-finals

Chicago Cubs: Mesa vs. Catalina Regional

• 1 seed Ryne Sandberg vs. 1 seed Ernie Banks

In much the same way as the other semifinal matchup, the Sandberg- Banks showdown is a fight for the ages. Well, different ages and eras, at least. For baby boomers, Ernie Banks will always be Mr. Cub, the greatest living Cub, and the face of the organization.

For the kids of those same boomers, Ryne Sandberg might very well be the greatest living Cub they ever saw. Take another step, and you have the Kris Bryant and Javier Baez question as well, but we’re not there yet with those guys- they still have a long way to go and neither even have a long-term deal with the Cubs in place at the moment.

Back to Banks and Sandberg, you just can’t go wrong with the choice. As young players, both could do just about anything on the ballfield- run, hit, field, hit for power, and play the game hard. They were both beloveds by fans because they were good and because they played the game the right way.

Banks was also the first black player ever to don the royal blue pinstripes and could have added a couple more years to his career if not for his time in the Negro Leagues and his time serving in World War II.

Sandberg doesn’t have those distinctions, but losing to Banks in this matchup of legends is nothing to scoff at. Losing to the guy who is the face of the team and one of the best players ever to play the game is sort of like Lebron being the second-best basketball player of all time. Yes, you read that correctly- that fact shouldn’t get me in too much trouble on a Cubs blog, right?

There’s a reason there’s a statue of Jordan outside the United Center, just like there’s a reason there’s a statue of Banks out in front of Wrigley Field. They don’t generally build statues for second best.

Stay tuned as we look at the matchup of the two greatest Cubs of all time- Banks and Santo- in an unforgettable Cubs Madness championship. What a tournament!