RealGM

For 19 years, shortstop Ernie Banks was a fixture at Wrigley Field. Now, the Chicago Cubs will make sure "Mr. Cub" will always be there to greet fans.

The Cubs announced Tuesday that it will honor Banks, a Hall of Famer, with a statue to be erected at Wrigley by Opening Day of next year.

"This is richly deserved for Ernie Banks and it is a great way to honor 'Mr. Cub,'" team president John McDonough said. "The statue will help immortalize someone who continues to have a tremendous impact on the Cubs and its fans, just as he did while he was on the playing field."

The exact location of the statue has yet to be determined. It will be commissioned through the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany, which produced such statues as the Harry Caray piece at Wrigley Field and the Michael Jordan statue at the United Center.