A Tribute to Mr. Oriole

As a lifelong Yankees fan, I grew up watching – and rooting against – their opponents in the American League’s Eastern Division. To this day, I still don’t like the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, or the Rays. And yes, I also wanted the Bronx Bombers to beat the Indians, the Tigers, and the Senators back when they were in the same six-team division.

However, strangely enough, I could never bring myself to hate the Baltimore Orioles, even when they finished 28.5 games ahead of my beloved Yanks in 1969, the first year I followed baseball religiously. Those Baltimore teams had some really great players such as Frank and Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, and Paul Blair… and their pitching staff was led by Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar. Managed by the irascible Earl Weaver, the Orioles were a dominant force throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The Yankees had far fewer standout players, but I loved them just the same. My favorites were Mel Stottlemyre, Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer, and Roy White… and I mourned the passing of the first three as if I had lost a close family member (hang in there Roy!) However, the death of players on other teams usually didn’t affect me the same way.

So why, you might ask, have I taken the passing of Brooks Robinson so hard and so personally? After all, he played all 23 years of his illustrious career in a black, white, and orange Orioles uniform. Could he be the reason I found it so hard to dislike the O’s?

Let me answer the second question first with a resounding “YES!” To me, there was no more likeable player than Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. A consummate professional, he went about his business in a low-key manner like so many of his contemporaries, a trait that would make him a complete anomaly in today’s “look at me, aren’t I great” bastardized version of the game.

Ol’ #5 simply stepped onto the field every day – and I mean “every” day as he averaged a remarkable 156 games per season from 1960 to 1975 – and did his job. Something tells me that if he hadn’t been a baseball player, Brooks would have been the kind of guy who showed up early at the office or the factory, lunch bucket in hand, like clockwork… rarely if ever calling in sick and earning more than a few “perfect attendance” pins along the way.

But Brooks didn’t just show up to play, he excelled at his job. If you asked fans and baseball historians alike to name the greatest third baseman of all-time, Brooks would get a lot of votes along with Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Chipper Jones, and Eddie Matthews. Wade Boggs, Adrian Beltre, Judy Johnson, Pie Traynor, and Nolan Arenado would probably round out the rest of the Top 10… with Ron Santo and Scott Rolen receiving honorable mention. However, if you asked the same people who was the best defensive player to ever man the hot corner, it would be virtually unanimous: Brooks Robinson, the “Human Vacuum Cleaner.”

Want proof? How about 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, a record for a non-pitcher. In fact, Robinson’s defense was so spectacular that he finished third in the MVP balloting in 1966 when he batted just .269… and fourth in 1971 when he only hit .272. That being said, Brooks was no slouch at the plate, batting over .300 twice – including a career high .317 in 1964 when he was named the American League MVP – and crushing 268 homers while driving in 1,357 runs.

But statistics don’t come close to capturing the totality of the man or his character. Simply put, if you put together a short list of the finest gentlemen to ever play the game, it would no doubt include Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Stan Musial, and Brooks Robinson.

That is what I will miss the most about the man universally known as “Mr. Oriole.” He was a class act, a rare bird indeed.

As a diehard Yankees fan, I can think of no greater compliment than to say I wish that Brooks Robinson had played for my team.

R.I.P. “Hoover.”