Reading the commentary of our sports-minded Philosopher in Friday’s column on our website I was reminded of another class act in sports, and there are more than a few (Roger Maris, George Foreman, and Johnny Unitas come to mind). I was still in high school when Golden Glove third baseman Brooks Robinson led the Baltimore Orioles over the Cincinnati Reds to win the 1970 World Series Championship in five games. Known more for his glove than his bat Robinson nonetheless rose to the occasion and batted .429 for the series, winning game one for his team with a seventh inning homer and making incredible plays attacking batters from his infield position. 
He was the World Series MVP that year and, with the award, he received a new car from Toyota. When Reds catcher Johnnie Bench heard that Robinson got the MVP and the Toyota, he commented: “If we had known he wanted a car that badly, we’d all have chipped in and bought him one.” In his twenty-two years in the Majors (all with Baltimore) Brooks won sixteen American League Golden Glove awards, all consecutive, from 1960-1975. He was nicknamed “The Human Vacuum Cleaner.”
Players were astonished and batters were intimidated watching Robinson perform. Johnny Bench was half serious when he said: “I will become a left-handed hitter to keep the ball away from that guy.” Teammate, and fellow Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson just marveled: “He was the best defensive player at any position. I used to stand in the outfield like a fan and watch him make play after play. I used to think WOW, I can’t believe this.”
Rival Pete Rose wasn’t exaggerating when he dropped this gem of a compliment with laconic courtesy: “Brooks Robinson belongs in a higher league.” In fact that poignant acclaim might be fittingly etched on Robinson’s gravestone:
Joe Falls of the Detroit News said of him: “How many interviews, how many questions – how many times you approached him and got only courtesy and decency in return. A true gentleman who never took himself seriously. I always had the idea he didn’t know he was Brooks Robinson.”
John Steadman of the News American was equally laudatory: “There’s not a man who knows him who wouldn’t swear for his integrity and honesty and give testimony to his consideration of others. He’s an extraordinary human being, which is important, and the world’s greatest third baseman of all time, which is incidental.”
High praise indeed for a well-respected man and athlete. In the “People” section of today’s Catholic News Service (June 7, 2010) there’s a modest tribute to seventy-three year-old grandfather Brooks Robinson. It is taken from The Catholic Review, Baltimore’s Archdiocesan newspaper:
“When Lee May cracked a two-bouncer inside the third-base line in the first game of the 1970 World Series, Brooks Robinson’s response was nothing short of legendary. Wheeling three paces to his right, the Baltimore Orioles’ third baseman fielded the ball in foul territory, took two more steps and threw against his momentum. The throw bounced once on its way to first baseman Boog Powell and beat May.” Read the rest of the article here. (Scroll down to last entry)
