Brooks Robinson - Giving It All Away

As a young boy, I was fortunate enough to watch Brooks Robinson play for my hometown Baltimore Orioles. Watching his magician-like plays on defense and his clutch hitting gave a young baseball fan all the joy he could ever want.

I had the pleasure of meeting my baseball idol several times back in the day. I quickly found out the his stellar play on the field wasn't his only attribute. He was also one of the nicest people that I had ever met. With his comforting southern drawl, Brooks looked me in the eyes and spoke to me as if we were two longtime friends. And after all of these years, Brooks Robinson still remains my favorite player ever.

Yesterday, I heard that Brooks was auctioning off all of his memorabilia from his private collection. This included his 16 Gold Gloves, his two World Series rings and his 1964 American League MVP trophy.

I was saddened when I first heard this because I assumed that Brooks, like so many other retired athletes, had fallen on hard times. I figured he was selling off his beloved mementos to help pay the bills. However, I was relieved to learn that this wasn't the case at all....

Brooks, along with his wife Connie, had decided to auction off the items in order to help other people. Every penny generated by the sale of the 240 items will go to the Constance and Brooks Foundation where the proceeds will be distributed to various charities. My sadness quickly gave way to goosebumps as my boyhood idol rose yet another notch on the class scale.

Brooks explained that he has been very blessed over the years. And through his life, he has always tried to help others. And, in true fashion, Brooks will now part with some of his most beloved material items in hopes that they will ultimately produce happiness for someone else. Brooks has always tried to teach his children to give back. And, leading by example, that's exactly what Brooks has done in this case.

The respect and admiration that I have for this man is tremendous. His on-field performance was one thing. But the way in which Brooks has conducted himself off the field continues to be inspiring, not only to baseball fans, but for people in general. Sports hero, in my opinion, is an overused and often undeserved term. But in Brooks' case, I think it fits perfectly. Summing it up, Brooks Robinson makes you want to be a better person.

kw


http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-brooks-robinson-auction-charity-20151007-story.html

My All-Time O's Line-Up

I was talking with some friends the other night about the all-time greatest Baltimore Orioles. Although there were many great ones, putting them into any particular order is often harder than you would think. If you're basing it purely on something that is measurable, like statistics, then you can likely rank them in an agreeable order. However, the statistics don;t always tell the whole story.

So, for my all-time Oriole list, I will admit that I wasn't totally objective. I've based my list on statistics as well as the perception that I have of the player's impact on the game. I expect to get some arguments and disagreements from my fellow O's fans, but here is what I've come up with......

1st Base - Eddie Murray

Murray, in my opinion, was the best hitter in Oriole's history. No major league pitcher ever wanted to face Eddie when the game was on the line. He was a serious threat from either side of the plate and, hands-down, the best clutch hitter that I've ever seen. Belting out 343 HR's as an Oriole, he's second only to Cal Ripken on the all-time list. Murray was also very good with the glove as he won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards at 1st Base. It's amazing that Eddie never won an MVP award. He was runner-up in 1982 and 1983. 

Honorable Mention: Jim Gentile, Boog Powell, Lee May, Rafael Palmiero

2nd Base - Roberto Alomar

I'll probably take some heat for this one, mainly because Alomar only played three seasons for the Birds. But during those three years, he had a huge impact. He helped propel the O's to a long-awaited trip back to the playoffs in '96 and '97. He was an above average switch-hitter and decent threat to steal a base. His defense was legendary, making him arguably the best defensive second baseman of all-time.

Honorable Mention: Brian Roberts, Bobby Grich

Shortstop - Cal Ripken Jr.

This one doesn't seem to need an explanation. But believe it or not, I have heard people argue that Ripken was over-rated and, if not for the consecutive games streak, he would be just another "decent" shortstop. Although he had more at-bats than the average player, Ripkens numbers speak for themselves. He's the Oriole's all-time leader in base-hits, doubles, homeruns and RBI's. He was also a brilliant defensive shortstop. Although he eventually won two Gold Gloves, he was often overlooked for some of the more flashy shortstops. For instance, in 1990, Ripken made only three errors all season, finishing with a mind-numbing .996 fielding percentage. But for some reason, the voters decided that Chicago's Ozzie Guillen was more deserving that particular year.

Honorable Mention: Luis Aparicio, Mike Bordick, Mark Belanger, JJ Hardy

3rd Base - Brooks Robinson

My personal all-time favorite baseball player, Brooks paved the road for the "Oriole way". Always had pop in his bat and he's considered by many to be the best defensive 3rd Baseman ever. Aside from what he did on the field, Brooks was a true gentleman and genuine role model that we all looked up to. 

Honorable Mention: Doug DeCinces, Melvin Mora, Cal Ripken Jr., Miguel Tejada

Left Field - BJ Surhoff

Left field is perhaps the hardest position to pick a "best Oriole". There have have many players who have moved in and out of LF through the years. But the one who played the most consistently and I believe is worthy if the title is Surhoff. The guy was a hard-nosed player reminiscent of Pete Rose. He played baseball that way it was supposed to be played.

Honorable Mention: Gary Roenicke, John Lowenstein, Mike Devereaux

Center Field - Paul Blair

Blair, an eight-time Gold Glover, was like a gazelle in center field. His offensive numbers may not have been great, but Blair's presence in the line up was felt. He had occasional power and decent speed. He was instrumental in Baltimore's '66 and '70 Championship seasons.

Honorable Mention: Adam Jones, Al Bumbry, Brady Anderson

Right Field - Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson was probably the player who was most responsible for initiating the Oriole's run of successful seasons. Joining the team in 1966, he won the Triple Crown and led the Orioles to their very first Championship season. An incredible player all the way around.

Honorable Mention: Ken Singleton, Nick Markakis

Catcher - Chris Hoiles

Hoiles was a good defensive catcher with plenty of pop in his bat. He played his whole career for the O's (1989-1998) finishing up with 151 homeruns. Hoiles was also one of the few players who hit very well off of fire-baller Randy Johnson. 

Honorable Mention: Matt Wieters, Rick Dempsey

Designated Hitter - Ken Singleton

The DH is tricky because at some point, almost any American League player can find themselves serving this role. But I'm going to pick Ken Singleton here. The guy was a solid hitter with respectable power. He is still in the Oriole's top 10 list for hits.

Honorable Mention: Harold Baines

Starting Pitcher - Jim Palmer

No surprise here. Palmer is the all-time wins leader (268) for the O's. There will never be another pitcher like him in Baltimore. He had eight 20-win seasons and won the Cy Young Award three times. He was also an excellent fielder at his position, earning four Gold Gloves. Among his impressive feats, he's the youngest player (age 20) to pitch a shutout in a World Series game and he's the only pitcher ever to win a World series game in three different decades. Palmer also had 211 (no, that's not a typo) complete games during his career. And perhaps even most astonishing, in 19 years, Palmer never gave up a Grand Slam! 

Honorable Mention: Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Mike Mussina, Milt Pappas, Robin Roberts, Mike Flanagan, Scott McGregor

Closing Pitcher - Gregg Olson

The all-time saves leader for the O's, Olson knew how to get it done. He had decent heat but his curveball, at times, looked like an optical illusion. Opposing batters would practically jump out of the way as Olson's breaking ball eventually made it's way over the meaty part of the plate. I used to love watching this guy pitch!

Honorable Mention: Tippy Martinez, Randy Myers, Stu Miller, Jim Johnson

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Again, these choices are my personal opinions which I based on statistics along with my personal recollections of these players. When you factor in your personal feelings, there are legitimate arguments for many different scenarios. In the past, I have debated these things for hours in length at bars, ballgames, parties, etc. I have no doubt that I'll be talking about it again before long......

kw