It’s hard to walk away knowing you did it right. But Ernie Banks’ family and friends, the sport of baseball and the city of Chicago can rest assured that they gave Mr. Cub a grand sendoff on Saturday, one befitting his standing as the all-time leader in love of the game.

Almost since the day Ned Yost took over as the Royals’ manager in 2010, he’s faced his fair share of criticism from the media. He even said he’s heard insults from fans sitting behind the dugout.

Instead of mourning Ernie Banks on Saturday, his teammates, family and friends urged everyone to celebrate the life of Mr. Cub on what would have been his 84th birthday.

Given the close bond that Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward have shared since entering the professional ranks together in 2007, Freeman does not like the fact that they will no longer be teammates. Nor is he overly excited about the fact that Justin Upton and Evan Gattis will no longer be around to protect him in the middle of Atlanta’s lineup. But as Freeman evaluates all the Braves gained via their massive roster reconstruction this offseason, he is excited about what the future might bring and optimistic that many expectations will be exceeded during the upcoming season.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis wants people to know he didn’t take Adderall for an edge at the plate. Davis, who spoke for nearly 10 minutes on Saturday at FanFest for the first time since he received a 25-game suspension on Sept. 12 for violating baseball’s drug policy, called taking the drug “a moment of weakness” he deeply regrets.

A perfectly manicured field is always stunning. But Major League Baseball’s groundskeepers — who were at Coors Field this week for their annual conference — don’t mind adding their own artistic touches. Whether it’s a pattern of starbursts or checkers, a club logo or a poignant design for a special occasion, the work of these behind-the-scenes professionals is part of the experience for fans in the park or watching on TV.

When Rollie Fingers says you need three things to succeed as a pitcher in the big leagues, he really means you need one. But either way you slice it, Justin Verlander has it.

Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and Lou Brock, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be among the speakers today at the funeral service for Cubs legend Ernie Banks

Friday was a day for people touched by Ernie Banks’ irrepressible and irresistible charm to approach his casket at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. This was the kind of effect Banks had on people here.

On Friday 22 current Dodgers and three franchise luminaries took part in a special luncheon to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project.

The Yankees signed right-hander Scott Baker to a one-year, Minor League contract on Friday, according to multiple media reports.

David Hastings, the agent for Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada, received a notification from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday night stating that his player may be generally licensed as an unblocked national, according to new guidelines for a general license amended Jan. 16, 2015.

The Twins’ Byron Buxton, coming off an injury-filled 2014 season, has topped the MLB.com Top 100 Prospects list in back-to-back years. The Pirates (seven players), Twins and Cubs (six players each) had the most representatives on the list.

From Byron Buxton’s speed to Kris Bryant’s power to Lucas Giolito’s fastball and curve, Jim Callis breaks down the best tools of MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Prospects list.

It doesn’t take Royals catcher Salvador Perez long to pinpoint his favorite moment from the club’s magical playoff run last season. To this day, baseball observers are dumbfounded how Perez ever reached the pitch, which seemed almost two feet off the plate, let alone pulled it to beat the A’s in the AL Wild Card Game.

The casket of Ernie Banks lay before thousands of mourners, including former teammates, friends and fans. It was dressed with a pinstriped No. 14 flag that flies from the left-field foul pole on summer days at Wrigley Field and a portrait of the handsome Mr. Cub.

Coming off the greatest Royals season in nearly three decades, manager Ned Yost obviously is eager to get to Spring Training in a couple of weeks. It’s just that once he gets there, Yost knows he won’t be searching for all that many answers.