68 replies to this topic

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Brooks just passed away. He was my dad's favorite all time Oriole.

 

RIP #5.

[BSLChrisStoner]

[fishteacher]

Sad day for sure. Interested to hear Jim speak about him at the top of the hour.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Baseball HOF: https://baseballhall...robinson-brooks

[Mike B]

Brooks was an Ambassador of a food show my company sponsored about 20 years ago.  What a terrific guy.

 

A very sad day.  

[weird-O]

My first thought was, we can ignore all his baseball accomplishments, and still fill several pages with comments about the fine human being he has always been.

[mweb08]

RIP to the greatest defensive player to ever man the hot corner.

[CantonJester]

Oh man. I'm gonna have to call my mother tonight. 

 

Rest in peace. 

[Steve55]

He was my all time favorite. Started watching baseball when I was 5.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Texted my sons just after I heard. Youngest (hardly a kid anymore) said it best "well then the O's should just go win the WS for #5."

[BSLChrisStoner]

As a kid in the 80s, when it was Little League or playing in the neighborhood...  and kids wanted to be a number, or they were pretending to be so and so... #5 was as popular as any. 

My memories of Brooks are from his time announcing on WMAR.  
He - like Palmer has done for decades now - brought a connection to the past. 

 

Imagine that he was part of the O's organization since 1955... crazy to think about. 

 

My Dad always talked about the 1960 Baby Bird O's... and how that was the first time they were good, and you could see the future coming. 

 

Rob / SportsGuy got to interact with Brooks several times.  They (and Rob's Dad) became friendly as Rob was doing some work as a kid with the Babe Ruth Museum, and his Dad was probably in the early stages of cancer. 

Rob spoke several times of what regard he had for Brooks and how good he was to him and his Dad. 

[russsnyder]

Brooks was and always will be the heart and soul of Orioles.

[Mackus]

Oh no! Sad news. Absolute gentleman according to literally every interaction I've ever heard of him having.

[JStruds]

My first hero was Jim Gentile while my Mom was cheering for Brooksie. He will always be Mr. Oriole to me based on being the greatest 3B of all time and his amdassodorship and devotion to the city and team.

[Mike in STL]

That one hurts.

[Don Quixote]

It's tough to try to find the words to articulate such a massive loss for the community, the club, baseball, sport in general, and even humanity. He operated at the top on so many levels. Like many of us on here who were born in the late '70s and early '80s, my first recollections of Brooks were as a broadcaster, and I immediately worked backwards from there. I only got to meet Brooks in person once, on Labor Day 1989 at the Prince George's County Fair. Plenty of people were there, as one could imagine, and he was an absolute gentleman to all, as one would expect. He signed a ball and a B/W promo photo print for me, which featured him in his later playing days (white panel cap); he also signed a print for my brother, who was at home and was five months old. I'll never forget it.

The year I said hello to Brooks in person, the Orioles did something unexpected. Today, as I say goodbye from a great distance, they're doing it again - a bit less unexpectedly than back then, but hopefully with the power to go that bit farther. Godspeed, Brooks Robinson.

[1970]

I have a picture in my office.  In the picture, I’m leaning over a table talking to Brooks.  He was a part owner of the Southern MD Blue Crabs and was signing autographs prior to one of their games.  When I walked up to him I said “I believe you know my wife’s uncle” and I mentioned his name.  Brooks immediately responded “how is old Tom?”  He proceeded to tell me that he used to go fishing with Tom and that his son once dated Tom’s daughter.  We talked for a while; so long that I would have felt bad for those behind me, but that was one of the greatest moments of my life.  I had the honor and privilege of meeting Brooks 6 or 7 times, but that was the only extended conversation I ever had with him.

 

My name on here (and at OH) is obviously because of that great Orioles team.  That was the first World Series that I have vivid memories of, and what a WS to remember!

 

RIP, Brooks.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Was too young to see him in his prime, but I was there at Memorial Stadium when they honored him at the end of his final season in '77. What sticks with me most was when they paraded out the 16 Gold Glove trophies....still the most of any position player in either league.

 

Seems like one of the great testaments to what he meant to fans was how many people I met over the years who were either named after him themselves, or named their child after him.

 

RIP

[BSLChrisStoner]

ESPN: 

 

4 vintage quotes shared by Hall of Fame Tue. re: Brooks Robinson -

 

HoF Mgr. Earl Weaver: "Brooks is the only guy I know who has a farm system for gloves. He's got gloves that are a year away. He retires the old ones when they can't go to the left for balls hit in the hole anymore."

 

A-S OF Rico Carty: "He's more than a thief. He's a thief three times over."

 

A-S 3B Buddy Bell: "It was like he held class out there."

 

Umpire Ed Hurley: "He plays third like he was sent down from another league."

[NewMarketSean]

Of all the Orioles players that played before my time he’s the one that I wished I could have seen play on a daily basis. I still remember him calling games for local TV with Scott Garceau. RIP Brooks. One of the best, if not the best, to ever pick it at 3B.