In his first professional game as a York White Rose in 1955, a young native of Arkansas was introduced to the crowd as ‘Bob Robinson,’ as a defensive replacement at second base.
Fifty-three years later, York got it right, and the city where Brooks Robinson began his professional career will unveil the first statue of the Hall of Fame third baseman.
Robinson, the 1970 World Series MVP and the winner of 16 Gold Gloves, learned of the statue just eight months ago while at lunch with Peter Kirk, Robinson?s partner in a minor league ownership group.
“They told me they were going to put a statue there and I got tears in my eyes,” Robinsonsaid. “I got choked up.”
Robinson is part of the ownership group that oversees the York (Pa.) Revolution, a second-year club in the independent Atlantic League. The Revolution play at Sovereign Bank Stadium, where Robinson?s likeness will be unveiled in a ceremony today.
But the obvious question for Orioles fans is: ‘Why not Baltimore?’
The Orioles have a metallic No. 5 at the end of the warehouse in center field, an honor bestowed to each of the team?s six players to have their number retired: Earl Weaver‘s No. 4, Cal Ripken?s No. 8, Frank Robinson?s No. 20, Jim Palmer‘s No. 22 and Eddie Murray?s No. 33.
Other than that, though, Robinson has been distanced from the organization.
“I don’t have time to come back now. I’m too old for that now,” Robinson said. “I’ve had luncheons with Peter Angelos over the years. Basically, they want someone there who can be there 24-7. I do too many things and don’t have the time to do it. That’s from Peter and my conversation going back eight or 10 years. I said I’d be happy to go to spring training, but I think they want someone on call all the time, and I just can’t do that.”
But that doesn’t mean Robinson doesn’t care. He still refers to the Orioles as “we,” an obvious sign of his allegiance to his home team.
“It’s upsetting to me, because everywhere I go around the country, [the organization’s struggles are] the No. 1 question. And now it?s, ‘I saw they drew 10,000 people, the lowest in Camden Yards history,'” Robinson said. “When they start winning, they’ll start drawing people.”
