December 23, 2024
Featured image from Bettman/Bettman Archive.
I never got to see Brooks Robinson play third base. But I did get to play catch with him one afternoon in Cooperstown, NY, steps away from the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I remembered that meeting—and what I understand of his career—while writing this tribute when he passed away in 2023.
Here’s an excerpt:
Robinson died this week, and although he is undoubtedly the greatest defensive third basemen and most important Baltimore Oriole of all time, what’s striking reading tributes to “Brooksie” is that baseball doesn’t seem to be his legacy. What people remember most is his kindness and generosity. I wasn’t the only one who learned to play baseball from Robinson; it was the type of thing he did all the time. “If you lived in Baltimore and never shook Brooksie’s hand, it’s because you never tried,” wrote Dave Sheinin in the Washington Post.