Frank Robinson has passed

[Palmoripken]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

There is so much I could say.    But for now, I'll just quote from a thread I did on Frank's 75th birthday.

A huge piece of my childhood died today.

I remember you writing that. It reminded me a little of how I felt as a kid getting Alomar at the same age. But obviously Frank did a lot more not just for the club since he’s obviously still a favorite to this day. He really is a special part of this franchise’s history. Would have loved to been there for 1966 especially. The first championship is always the sweetest imo.

[DrungoHazewood]

21 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Dammit.  RIP.

Unfortunately I'm too young to have seen him play, but my first memories of him are being the manager of the 1989 team.  And seeing his smile on the cover of the video that I have watched probably hundreds of times and have committed to memory:

And I remember meeting him after that season at an autograph session at a mall in Rockville, got his autograph and Gregg Olson's autograph, too.  I still have that picture of him somewhere.

A truly great ambassador to the game and one of the all time greats.  He is missed.  

I was a few months old when he played his last game for the Orioles, but I loved his time as manager, and of course I've heard countless great stories here of his playing exploits.

Really an inner circle guy, one of the best of the best.  Only an Oriole player for six seasons, but one of the best peaks ever in Baltimore.  And he just seemed like a great dude.

[24fps]

An all-time great.  RIP Frank.

[waroriole]

The guy that started Oriole Magic. RIP to a legend

[Aristotelian]

43 minutes ago, backwardsk said:

When I was a young kid a stood in line with his baseball card waiting for an autograph.  A grown man pushed me away to get in front of me.  Frank Robinson wouldn't sign for that guy, but told me that one day I'd get big enough to push that guy back.

The Orioles are very fortunate to have him as part of their family.

I'm fine, I'm fine. Just got something in my eye here, a little dust or something.

[OFFNY]

8 minutes ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

One of my earliest memories in baseball was when I became an Orioles fan, in October of 1971 when I was in 1st grade ........  it was Game Six of that season's World Series.  My family was rooting for the Pirates in the World Series because they liked Roberto Clemente, so I rooted for the Orioles.)I remember that we won Game 6 when an Orioles runner slid home underneath the Pirates' catcher who had leaped in the air for the throw ........ I later learned that it was Frank Robinson sliding underneath Manny Sanguillen. I remember all of the Orioles hugging each other at home plate immediately afterward. I also later learned that Robinson almost single-handedly won that game for the Orioles in that final inning, hustling from 1st base to 3rd base on a single in which he had no business doing so, and then doing the same thing by scoring on a Sac-Fly on a very shallow fly ball to centerfield ....... Robinson's hustle on both plays was the biggest factor as to why there would be a Game Seven played the next day (the Orioles had been down 3 games to 2 prior to that Game Six.)

 

O

 

 

2 minutes ago, NashLumber said:

 

Seared into my memory. I remember being glued to the TV as a 9 year-old when it happened. All alone in my grandma's den, no one else was interested in watching. My favorite Frank memory that I recall seeing in real time. And the baseball card from that game with the leaping Sanguillen was one of my favorites ever. 

 

 

o

 

Even though I was rooting for the Orioles, I was very impressed with Sanguillen's valiant effort on that play. 

Also, there is something strangely glorious about falling in love with a team that falls just a tad shy of taking it all, as I did that October. What a time that was ........ people die, but the memories live on.

 

O

[Nite]

[osfan83]

So sad...First Oriole HOF player to pass.....I remember the tail end of his O's career. I was living in Cleveland in 1974 when he took over as player-manager, and I believe he hit a HR in his first AB as a manager. 

[Redskins Rick]

12 minutes ago, waroriole said:

The guy that started Oriole Magic. RIP to a legend

A true legend and very classy gentleman for sure.

Not to take anything away, I thought Oriole Magic was Wild Bill Haggy's claim to fame??????

[Just Regular]

My condolences to the Robinson family, and to all here for whom he loomed large.  My first memories are of '79 so I only came to know him retrospectively.

MLB just ran a nice piece on his life, and it was new to me that he grew up with Bill Russell in Oakland, and that Boog gave him a 4-win season for the '75 Indians when he broke the manager color line.  Frank as player manager nonetheless out-OBP'd Boog .385 to .377 to lead his team.

The last thing he did that struck me as vividly revealing a piece of himself was the presser after he decided to pull his catcher mid-inning, and how hard that was for him.

 

[Ohfan67]

Very sad. 

Thanks to you guys for sharing some wonderful memories. I didn't become an Oriole fan until 1991 (moved to Maryland), but it is always fun and heartwarming to read about Frank as a player and person. 

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, osfan83 said:

So sad...First Oriole HOF player to pass.....I remember the tail end of his O's career. I was living in Cleveland in 1974 when he took over as player-manager, and I believe he hit a HR in his first AB as a manager. 

Frank had a way of coming up huge in big moments.   He was, of course, the first African American manager and all eyes were on him that day.   Hitting a HR in his first AB in those circumstances was quite amazing.   I delivered newspapers then and I’ll never forget opening my stack of papers at 5:45 a.m. and seeing that news at the top of the Sports page.   

[foxfield]

What Frank Robinson did upon arriving in 1966 was beautifully captured by Frobby on page 4.  I feel exactly the same way about that year and about Frank.  Only difference is that when he arrived, I was 10.  

And yes, a huge piece of my childhood died today as well.  I hope you rest well, Frank Robinson.  You are going to be missed more than you could ever know.  Prayers for the Robinson family and for baseball.  One of the all time greats, that we were lucky to have for our brightest days, has joined another inner circle.

[TonySoprano]

Our @Roy Firestone will be on the FAN 105.7 with Scott Garceau @ 5:30 to talk about Frank. 

[jtschrei]

RIP Frank. What a great life he had. My dad always said he was a great ballplayer. Damn.