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As the convertible moved slowly around Camden Yards, the home field of the Baltimore Orioles, fans moved down for a closer look at the undisputed all-time favorite player in the history of the franchise – Brooks Robinson. Fathers hoisted children to their shoulders and pointed in hopes a memory would be filed away somewhere for retelling to another generation. Many 50-somethings held signs proudly proclaiming, “My name is Brooks too.” Some needed a tissue.
In New York, they named a candy bar after Reggie Jackson. Here in Baltimore, we name our children after Brooks Robinson – Sportswriter Gordon Beard
September 24, 2022, was called Thanks, Brooks Day. There had been many previous days honoring Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. This particular day was scheduled to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Robinson’s last game as a player in 1977. No player on the Orioles’ current roster was even alive when the man in the convertible was an active player, but every player on the field that day stood and applauded reverently as Robinson and his granddaughter drove by. Many baseball pundits would say he was the greatest third baseman of all time, and most would agree he was the most beloved.
Brooks Robinson 1957
Brooks Robinson 1977
Major League Baseball’s Official Release
A first-ballot National Baseball Hall of Famer in 1983, ‘Mr. Oriole’ spent 23 seasons with the club, starting in 20 consecutive Opening Day games. He won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1964 and holds the record for most Gold Gloves by a position player with 16. On Sept. 18, 1977, Orioles fans flocked to Memorial Stadium for ‘Thanks Brooks Day’ to recognize and honor the historic career of their beloved third baseman as he retired following the conclusion of that season. Robinson currently serves as a Special Advisor and Community Liaison for the Orioles. – Major League Baseball, Sept. 7, 2022
Elementary School, Youth Baseball, Central High School Class of 1955
The Brooks Robinson Story
A thousand miles away in Arkansas, the fans in Robinson’s home state were equally proud. It was a moment in baseball time that vividly personalized James Earl Jones’s monologue as Terrance Mann in the movie Field of Dreams.
And they’ll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. – James Earl Jones, Field of Dreams, 1989
Baseball is a game that thrives on nostalgia. A game dominated by memories, traditions, and records. Award-winning director Ken Burns, in his memorable documentary about the National Pastime, proposes that baseball is a game in which every player is “judged by those who have gone before.”
Perhaps, in Arkansas, no native son who reached the major league of any sport casts a longer shadow than Brooks Robinson, both on the field and off. In the collective memories of Arkansans old enough to recall the 1970 World Series, the images are as vivid as they were more than 50 years ago. Brooks goes behind third, backhands the hard ground ball, and in one acrobatic motion, he somehow gets a throw to first ahead of a startled runner. If they are lucky enough to recall a personal encounter, the memory includes, “Hello, I’m Brooks; where are you from?”
Lamar Porter Field
Brooks at Ray Winder Field with Arkansas Sports Hall of Famers, George Kell, Bill Dickey, Travis Jackson, and Lee Rogers.
Brooks Robinson was born in Little Rock on May 18, 1937. His father, the original Brooks Calbert Robinson, was a firefighter who moved to Little Rock as a child from the flooded, and later parched, cotton fields of the Atkins Bottoms. His mother, Ethel, managed a modest frame home on a quiet street, a short walk from Lamar Porter Field. Young Brooks would later say he was indeed in the “right place at the right time.” He was the first major league star born in Arkansas who would benefit from an organized city baseball program with excellent coaches.
He and his buds from the Lamar Porter gang won numerous state titles. and Robinson became a highly valued baseball prospect after graduation from Little Rock High School. (Now Little Rock Central) On May 28, 1955, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles. In his own evaluation, Brooks came from Little Rock to pro baseball with a big-league glove and a minor-league bat. “Hitting has been a struggle all my life.” It was a struggle he eventually conquered in style.
Baseball Hall of Fame 1983
Brooks Robinson in the Record Book
Robinson would be in the Orioles’ organization for the next 23 seasons. Although he lamented that he was “an average hitter, he became a middle-of-the-lineup clutch hitter and the greatest defensive third baseman of all time. He played in almost 2900 major league games. His accomplishments are legendary.
1960 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1961 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1962 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1963 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1964 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1964 Most Valuable Player Award
1965 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1966 All-Star Game MVP
1967 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1968 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1969 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1970 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1970 Hickok Belt
1970 The Babe Ruth Award
1970 World Series Most Valuable Player
1971 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1972 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1972 Roberto Clemente Award
1973 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1974 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1975 Gold Glove Award (Third Base)
1977 Joe Cronin Award
1960-74 18 Consecutive All-Star Games
1978 Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
1983 National Baseball Hall of Fame
We all knew Brooks was a gifted baseball player, but the thing we remember most is that he was a great teammate and a special guy. He never forgot his childhood friends and we never forgot him. Brooks almost always made our high school reunions and stayed in touch with his buddies from Pulaski Jr. High. I feel very fortunate to have a great relationship with Brooks. He is the best of the best in all aspects of life. – Childhood friend and teammate Robert Nosari.
Jim Yeager is a baseball historian who resides with his wife, Susan, in Russellville. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Robinson-Kell Arkansas Chapter of SABR, Yeager is a frequent presenter on the history of rural baseball in Arkansas. His books titled Backroads and Ballplayers and Hard Times and Hardball feature stories of Arkansans who played professional baseball in the first half of the 20th century. More information on Backroads and Ballplayers, Hard Times and Hardball, and other publications – www.backroadsballplayers.com
I am 85 years old, been an ardent baseball fan all my life. Ever since Mom and Dad took me to my first game in 1943. I love the Orioles, of course, since I lived in Baltimore most of my life. Brooksie was a favorite and always will be. His enthusiastic and energetic playing was amazing. He has represented the Orioles and baseball well and himself as a giving and kind man. I saw him play so many times and make impossible plays that stunned us all. Long live Brooks!!!!
Phillies fan here the fact that pundits call Mike Schmidt the best 3rd. baseman ever is an absolute JOKE! Brooks is No.1 in every defensive category and by a wide margin sure Schmidt had 548 homers but that only makes you the best hitting 3rd. Baseman Brooks had 600 more hits and was one of the best clutch hitters especially in the playoffs he’s not only was the best defensive 3rd. Baseman but the best defensive player at any position
[…] in Arkansas Growing up Brooks Only in Arkansas Little Rock to Cooperstown Only in Arkansas A Tribute to Brooks Memorial Service Top 10 moments of Brooks Robinson’s […]
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I am 85 years old, been an ardent baseball fan all my life. Ever since Mom and Dad took me to my first game in 1943. I love the Orioles, of course, since I lived in Baltimore most of my life. Brooksie was a favorite and always will be. His enthusiastic and energetic playing was amazing. He has represented the Orioles and baseball well and himself as a giving and kind man. I saw him play so many times and make impossible plays that stunned us all. Long live Brooks!!!!
Phillies fan here the fact that pundits call Mike Schmidt the best 3rd. baseman ever is an absolute JOKE! Brooks is No.1 in every defensive category and by a wide margin sure Schmidt had 548 homers but that only makes you the best hitting 3rd. Baseman Brooks had 600 more hits and was one of the best clutch hitters especially in the playoffs he’s not only was the best defensive 3rd. Baseman but the best defensive player at any position
He led the AL in hits during the 1960s – does that make him a good hitter?
Don Rockwell
[…] in Arkansas Growing up Brooks Only in Arkansas Little Rock to Cooperstown Only in Arkansas A Tribute to Brooks Memorial Service Top 10 moments of Brooks Robinson’s […]