#5 will be Missed

[DrungoHazewood]

17 hours ago, Rojo13 said:

Also, does anyone know what his total salary earned was for the Orioles? It's unfair how little he made compared to the guys nowadays.

Free agency wasn't a thing until the very end of Brooks' career. The reserve clause was in effect, so players didn't have any choice as to where they played and very little leverage with regards to pay (besides holding out, which was always portrayed in the media as being selfish and greedy).

But he wasn't exactly eating cold beans every night. In 1971 he made $100k in a country where the median household income was about $10k. That's the rough equivalent of $750k today. As a younger player he didn't make that much, but even at 24 he was making the 2023 equivalent of $200k a year.  Willie Mays topped out at an un-inflation-adjusted salary of $160k, the year Steve Carlton went 27-10 for a last place team the Phils rewarded him with a $165k salary. Nobody made $200k a year until free agency. I think it was Nolan Ryan in '79 who got the first $1M contract.

And Brooks transitioned directly from playing to the broadcast booth, so while he wasn't fantastically wealthy like many of today's players, he did okay.

[SemperFi]

13 hours ago, Chelsea_Phil said:

Also, I wonder after hearing about how brooks was a natural lefthander, why he did not try switch hitting at some point in his career, since he had some poor batting seasons from a batting average perspective.

 I think some of those poor years have to be taken in context of the era.  Brooks ate and wrote lefthanded but was essentially ambidextrous-I believe Billy Cox (recognized as the best 3B prior to Brooks) was also ambidextrous.  Brooks had the best hands I have ever seen, that transfer was a thing of beauty.

[Just Regular]

BP Steven Goldman's remembrance had a couple neat details:

As a kid in Little Rock, he delivered newspapers; Yankees great Bill Dickey was on his route. Trying to impress the old catcher with his arm, Robinson heaved Dickey’s paper onto his roof.

Late in that 1959 season the quiet man actually did something sly. Trying to make time with an attractive stewardess on a team flight, he aced out any potential competition by telling her that all of his teammates were married. Robinson was soon married himself—to her. 

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/85597/you-could-look-it-up-brooks-robinson-had-to-be-seen-to-be-believed/

[Sports Guy]

 

[Sports Guy]

https://eutawstreetreport.com/brooks-robinson-father-son/

 

Lots of people have a Brooks story and it seems like those of us who didn’t get to see him play, the stories always go back to our dads, one way or another.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Moose Milligan]

Kind of stupid, but fun.

[DrungoHazewood]

4 hours ago, SemperFi said:

 I think some of those poor years have to be taken in context of the era.  Brooks ate and wrote lefthanded but was essentially ambidextrous-I believe Billy Cox (recognized as the best 3B prior to Brooks) was also ambidextrous.  Brooks had the best hands I have ever seen, that transfer was a thing of beauty.

Brooks did certainly have some years at both the start and end of his career where he wasn't a good hitter, even after adjusting for context. In '58 and '75 he was more-or-less a full time player with OPS+es of 69 and 58. Jorge Mateo this year has a 69. But you can get away with that when you have as good a glove as Brooks.

Also, Brooks played in the reserve clause era, so there was no consideration whatsoever for service time. Years of team control were as long as they wanted to keep you. So they'd sometimes call up teenagers or guys otherwise clearly not ready for the majors. if Brooks had been born in 1990 he would definitely not have had 200 PAs spread across his age 18-20 seasons, he'd have been in A or AA ball.

I think that many excellent fielders are/were essentially ambidextrous. In the game's early years, prior to gloves, a good number of infielders would field and throw the ball with whatever hand was most convenient to get the out. Jerry Denny was the last non-pitcher to not use a glove and there are stories of him throwing with either hand.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

Kind of stupid, but fun.

I love me some Uecker, but this is definitely one of the stories that did not work!  Poor Bob Costas! 

[Malike]

You weren't alone, buddy.

[accinfo]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Brooks did certainly have some years at both the start and end of his career where he wasn't a good hitter, even after adjusting for context. In '58 and '75 he was more-or-less a full time player with OPS+es of 69 and 58. Jorge Mateo this year has a 69. But you can get away with that when you have as good a glove as Brooks.

Also, Brooks played in the reserve clause era, so there was no consideration whatsoever for service time. Years of team control were as long as they wanted to keep you. So they'd sometimes call up teenagers or guys otherwise clearly not ready for the majors. if Brooks had been born in 1990 he would definitely not have had 200 PAs spread across his age 18-20 seasons, he'd have been in A or AA ball.

I think that many excellent fielders are/were essentially ambidextrous. In the game's early years, prior to gloves, a good number of infielders would field and throw the ball with whatever hand was most convenient to get the out. Jerry Denny was the last non-pitcher to not use a glove and there are stories of him throwing with either hand.

Brooks hung on at the end because he needed the paycheck.  He was swindled in some business transactions I am sure because of his good nature.  At the end of his career her was making the most money he ever had.  

[SteveA]

From Roch:

The Orioles are hosting a public memorial service for Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson on Monday beginning at 10 a.m. at Camden Yards. Complimentary parking is available in lots A/B/C and fans can enter the ballpark through Gate E. Lots open at 8:30 a.m. and entry to the ballpark starts at 9 a.m.

[24fps]

8 minutes ago, SteveA said:

From Roch:

The Orioles are hosting a public memorial service for Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson on Monday beginning at 10 a.m. at Camden Yards. Complimentary parking is available in lots A/B/C and fans can enter the ballpark through Gate E. Lots open at 8:30 a.m. and entry to the ballpark starts at 9 a.m.

I'm betting the turnout will surprise everyone - and not by a little.

[Frobby]

42 minutes ago, 24fps said:

I'm betting the turnout will surprise everyone - and not by a little.

Probably would have done better if they’d scheduled it for the early evening, so people wouldn’t have to take off work.  But, I’ll bet the generation of retired people like me who saw Brooks play in his prime will turn out in droves.  

[SteveA]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Probably would have done better if they’d scheduled it for the early evening, so people wouldn’t have to take off work.  But, I’ll bet the generation of retired people like me who saw Brooks play in his prime will turn out in droves.  

If Congress doesn't pass a budget in time and there is a government shutdown, there will be a lot of temporarily not-working folks like me who might turn out.