In a city full of legends, none were matched by Brooks Robinson, whose on- and off-field demeanor saw him stand alone.
Indeed. Brooks Robinson is the most beloved sports figure in the history of Baltimore, quite a legacy given that the city also has given us Johnny Unitas, Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer, among many other icons. That legacy persists because Robinson isn't just the greatest defensive third baseman in baseball history -- he is also the single kindest person I've ever met in 45 years of covering baseball.
His defense was beyond magnificent. Before games, he used to take ground balls on his knees and practiced taking balls off his chest. His body was never in a hurry; he was always calm, a trait critical for a third baseman. He had great feet in part because he started his professional career as a second baseman, only moving to third base once he got to the major leagues in 1955. And then he played 2,870 games there, the most games in baseball history at third. Robinson had great, soft hands.
Robinson's defensive greatness was never more evident than in the 1970 World Series against the Reds. He made at least a half dozen spectacular plays. The Orioles won in five games."I've never seen anything like what he did to us in that Series,'' Reds manager Sparky Anderson said."He killed us.'' The first time I met Brooks Robinson was 1979. I was 22, writing a couple of stories on the Orioles for The Washington Star. He was a broadcaster with the team. He told me, with that disarming Arkansas twang, just an aw-shucks kid from Little Rock,"If you ever need anything, please let me know.'' I helped cover the team for the next two seasons, then was the beat writer for the Orioles for The Baltimore Sun from 1986-89. I spent a lot of time with Brooks Robinson.
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