It seemed somewhat appropriate that last weekend’s Nationals-Orioles series should have opened on Baltimore legend Brooks Robinson’s 70th birthday. Brooks notched both his first big league hit and first home run against Washington more than 50 years ago. He played for the Orioles in the final game the original Senators played in D.C. in 1960, and frequently killed the expansion club with both his bat and glove.
Last week Baltimore County held a small ceremony renaming a street in Pikesville “Brooks Robinson Drive.” It’s a fitting honor for Brooks, who’s maintained a home in the county since the early 1960s. He’s been a friend of mine for more than 30 years, and is the answer to the frequently-asked question, “Who’s the best person you’ve ever met in sports?”
Chatting with Robinson at the ceremony, I asked him if he’d ever had a chance to speak with Nationals’ third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
“Not since he’s been in the big leagues,” Brooks said. “But I sat next to him at a U.Va. baseball banquet a couple of years ago, and we talked all night.”
Brooks proceeded to recall virtually the entire conversation he had with Zim, and it was apparent he was impressed with Ryan’s grasp of the big picture in baseball. He’s also seen the Nats on TV a few times, and has paid particular attention to the defensive side of Zimmerman’s game.
“He can pick it out there as well as anybody I’ve seen in the big leagues recently,” he said. “He knows how to play the hitters, is really quick for a big guy, and he can throw.” Gee, Brooks, remind you of anyone? “Well, if you’re thinking about me, I was never that big physically. But I’d be flattered by the comparison.”
Brooks Robinson was the gold standard for third base for more than 20 years. Afterhe retired and did commentary on Oriole telecasts, I recall a game in New York where the Yankees made a pitching change, but the local station hesitated before cutting away from the game. Just prior to time being called, third baseman Graig Nettles — a great fielder in his own right — attempted to make a diving stop to his right, but failed to make the play. After play-by-play man Chuck Thompson threw it back to the studio there was a pause, and you could hear Brooks say off-mike, “There’s only one guy who makes that play, and he’s sittin’ up here.” No brag, just fact.
Robinson says that his proudest achievement as a ballplayer was that he spent all or part of 23 seasons with just one team, the Orioles, a record book distinction he shares with Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski. Brooks’ career ended just as free agency was gearing up, so he never really had the opportunity to sell his services to the highest bidder, not that he would have wanted to. Ryan Zimmerman can’t be a free agent until after the 2011 season, but I’m betting the Lerner family will do all it can to ensure that their third baseman is around a lot longer than that.
Now, to find a street in the District that can be renamed in about 40 years …
Phil Wood appears Saturdays at 11 a.m. on MASN and weekly on Comcast SportsNet’s WPL through the World Series.
