Brooks Robinson, RIP

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-26-23, 09:25 PM

Hall of Fame 3B, O's star Brooks Robinson dies

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38498947/hall-fame-3b-orioles-legend-brooks-robinson-dies-86

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson has died at the age of 86. Robinson spent his entire 23-year career in Baltimore, where he won two World Series and was an 18-time All-Star.

**JIBBBY** · 09-26-23, 09:27 PM

86 a long life for a man. Can't live forever.. Next..

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-26-23, 09:28 PM

Human Vacuum Cleaner = best nickname ever.

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-26-23, 09:29 PM

If you want to see a guy put on a show, watch the highlights of the 1970 World Series. Reds literally couldn't get a ball past him.

**mjsuax13** · 09-26-23, 10:07 PM

Winner. Rest in Peace.

**mjsuax13** · 09-26-23, 10:08 PM

Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat

Human Vacuum Cleaner = best nickname ever.

16 consecutive gold gloves. That’s an amazing feat.

**19th Hole** · 09-26-23, 10:11 PM

Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat

Human Vacuum Cleaner = best nickname ever.

Brooks Robinson - Great baseball player and character.

Brooks made MLB history by winning 16 straight Gold Gloves at third base.

RIP

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 05:25 AM

Originally posted by 19th Hole

Brooks Robinson - Great baseball player and character.

Brooks made MLB history by winning 16 straight Gold Gloves at third base.

RIP

Yes, 19th Hole. Kurkjian references it in his video.

Brooks was truly REVERED in Baltimore.

I've studied a lot of the old baseball teams. I really think the 1970 Oriole team was the best DEFENSIVE team ever.

They're at least on the short-list (of best defensive teams). Every pitcher on the staff benefited from the plays made behind them.

**BOA12** · 09-27-23, 05:37 AM

Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat

Yes, 19th Hole. Kurkjian references it in his video.

Brooks was truly REVERED in Baltimore.

I've studied a lot of the old baseball teams. I really think the 1970 Oriole team was the best DEFENSIVE team ever.

They're at least on the short-list (of best defensive teams). Every pitcher on the staff benefited from the plays made behind them.

Is that the year they had four 20 game winners? The 70's is all a blur to me.

**str** · 09-27-23, 06:36 AM

Originally posted by BOA12

Is that the year they had four 20 game winners? The 70's is all a blur to me.

The next year sir. 1971.

Brooks Robinson. All you had to do was say his name to infer the benchmark of excellence.

Great great baseball player. Great person.

Your right Chucky. This one is especially tough.

**BOA12** · 09-27-23, 06:38 AM

Originally posted by str

The next year sir. 1971.

Brooks Robinson. All you had to do was say his name to infer the benchmark of excellence.

Great great baseball player. Great person.

Your right Chucky. This one is especially tough.

Ten4 str, your knowledge and memory are legendary.

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 07:18 AM

Originally posted by str

The next year sir. 1971.

Brooks Robinson. All you had to do was say his name to infer the benchmark of excellence.

Great great baseball player. Great person.

Your right Chucky. This one is especially tough.

Salud, str. Tough day for Orioles fan.

I attached the link to the 1970 World Series highlights. What a performance.

Brooks Robinson in Baltimore. The only Player/City association that might be close = Clemente in Pittsburgh.

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 07:24 AM

Since I'm going down the rabbit-hole on old Oriole teams, I'll echo my thoughts on the Oriole teams from late 60s/early 70s as the best Defensive team ever:

*3b: Brooks Robinson.
*SS: Mark Belanger. Gold Glove quality defensive player - great hands.
*CF: Paul Blair. Gold Glover - they said his range was amazing. Covered alley to alley.
*2B: Davey Johnson (and later Bobby Grich). BALT actually had TWO Gold Glove quality 2nd basemen. Johnson won the Gold Glove. Grich was a young player who emerged, eventually made Johnson expendable.

...They made so many plays behind the pitcher. The whole staff had good numbers, largely b/c of the defense.
...As good as Jim Palmer was, he owes about 0.30 on his ERA to the defense behind him.

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 07:38 AM

Picked up an interesting note on that video:
*Orioles had 40 one-run victories that season (1970).

**stevenash** · 09-27-23, 09:46 AM

I'm just talking defense now but Davey Johnson and Derek Jeter were very similar.
Both won gold gloves, both were middle infielders, both made practically every play on balls hit their way despite, I don't want to say both were lacking in range, but it's accurate to say both had mediocre range.

RF (range factor) can be a misleading advanced defensive statistic.
Case in point, Gary Templeton had excellent range, could go in the hole and reach most any hit ball, but was a freaking butcher with the ball once he got to it.
Templeton was a brutal fielding SS, made 40 errors one season at SS, it's one thing to be able to gobble up balls that most middle infielders can only dream about reaching, but if you're going to throw it away, then what good is all the range?

One of the greatest hitters of our generation, more like my daddy's generation, Rod Carew, was such an awful fielding middle infielder (2B) that Minnesota was forced to move him off of second base, and became a part time first baseman/part time DH

Brooks was the greatest even defensive third baseman that ever lived.
Michael Jack Schmidt was the greatest third baseman that ever lived however.
What most people don't remember is Schmidt won gold at third for ten seasons, nine consecutive, that's how good Brooks was a defender, he made people forget just how great a fielder Schmidt was.
Nettles too

You know, if the creek don't rise and the sun don't fry, check back in a decade and we can lump Nolan Arenado on that list of one of the GOAT's that ever played the hot corner.

**OldBill** · 09-27-23, 09:55 AM

ah so many greats have passed on ... some retired but our secratary of defnse is still alive what a mo fo he was gary maddox

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 10:14 AM

Nashy, that's a great post.

*Third base is very tough position. Nettles is one of the few that can hold a candle to Brooks for artistic quality.

In 1978 Nettles also put on a defensive clinic. Nettles is on my short-list of underrated players. For longevity and achievement, he gets overlooked.

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 10:15 AM

**19th Hole** · 09-27-23, 10:40 AM

Originally posted by stevenash

I'm just talking defense now but Davey Johnson and Derek Jeter were very similar.
Both won gold gloves, both were middle infielders, both made practically every play on balls hit their way despite, I don't want to say both were lacking in range, but it's accurate to say both had mediocre range.

RF (range factor) can be a misleading advanced defensive statistic.
Case in point, Gary Templeton had excellent range, could go in the hole and reach most any hit ball, but was a freaking butcher with the ball once he got to it.
Templeton was a brutal fielding SS, made 40 errors one season at SS, it's one thing to be able to gobble up balls that most middle infielders can only dream about reaching, but if you're going to throw it away, then what good is all the range?

One of the greatest hitters of our generation, more like my daddy's generation, Rod Carew, was such an awful fielding middle infielder (2B) that Minnesota was forced to move him off of second base, and became a part time first baseman/part time DH

Brooks was the greatest even defensive third baseman that ever lived.
Michael Jack Schmidt was the greatest third baseman that ever lived however.
What most people don't remember is Schmidt won gold at third for ten seasons, nine consecutive, that's how good Brooks was a defender, he made people forget just how great a fielder Schmidt was.
Nettles too

You know, if the creek don't rise and the sun don't fry, check back in a decade and we can lump Nolan Arenado on that list of one of the GOAT's that ever played the hot corner.

~~~

Nash
Great post.
Informative and humorous read.
Thank you for bringing Schmidt into the mix for perspective.
I have one eye open for Arenado.

**BOA12** · 09-27-23, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by stevenash

I'm just talking defense now but Davey Johnson and Derek Jeter were very similar.
Both won gold gloves, both were middle infielders, both made practically every play on balls hit their way despite, I don't want to say both were lacking in range, but it's accurate to say both had mediocre range.

RF (range factor) can be a misleading advanced defensive statistic.
Case in point, Gary Templeton had excellent range, could go in the hole and reach most any hit ball, but was a freaking butcher with the ball once he got to it.
Templeton was a brutal fielding SS, made 40 errors one season at SS, it's one thing to be able to gobble up balls that most middle infielders can only dream about reaching, but if you're going to throw it away, then what good is all the range?

One of the greatest hitters of our generation, more like my daddy's generation, Rod Carew, was such an awful fielding middle infielder (2B) that Minnesota was forced to move him off of second base, and became a part time first baseman/part time DH

Brooks was the greatest even defensive third baseman that ever lived.
Michael Jack Schmidt was the greatest third baseman that ever lived however.
What most people don't remember is Schmidt won gold at third for ten seasons, nine consecutive, that's how good Brooks was a defender, he made people forget just how great a fielder Schmidt was.
Nettles too

You know, if the creek don't rise and the sun don't fry, check back in a decade and we can lump Nolan Arenado on that list of one of the GOAT's that ever played the hot corner.

Mike Schmidt was my favorite Cub killer.

**stevenash** · 09-27-23, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by 19th Hole

~~~

Nash
Great post.
Informative and humorous read.
Thank you for bringing Schmidt into the mix for perspective.
I have one eye open for Arenado.

Thank you ever so much for those words.
Appreciate that, and appreciate you.

I stopped for lunch, I have more content to add to that post.

i have been writing/blogging since HS, it's my passion, well one of my passions.
If you work at your craft, and you do it long enough, you develop a certain style of writing that reflects your personality.

Posting and moderating 98 percent sports here at SBR, with all the political nonsense eliminated, and the riff raff that squatted in the Saloon that emigrated to Bookmaker gone, I can concentrate my time to this, writing sports content, instead of concentrating on the two faced character assassins that have no problem stabbing you in the back I'll keep doing this as SBR has become enjoyable again. My personal blog pretty much looks like my post here, as soon as I get the updated business software installed here in my home office, I launching pro.

Trust me on this, one of my IT responsibilities is technical writing, you know creating flow charts, or run sheets as I like to call them, incident reports, turnover logs, it must be done, I'm responsible for getting shit rectified and documenting it for the managers when they come in at 8am, if anything in the data center farts the wrong way, the empty suits need to know, and it's not professional to put my humorous spin on things.

Don't get me wrong, I love the graveyard shift.

I can't say this enough, I really appreciate the positive feedback, not just from you, but from others, that tells me the effort is not wasted, you guys taking the time to read not just me, but others is everything.

Be back later.

**hawkwind** · 09-27-23, 05:38 PM

R.I.P. TRULY ONE of the GREATS

**stevenash** · 09-27-23, 07:53 PM

With the passing of the legendary Brooks Robinson, and all the talk of the some of the all time great defenders in this thread prompted me to dust off the databases I have at my disposal and learned some uncanny fun facts.

This one totally blew me away.

From 1962 until 1975 the only American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner for pitchers was Jim Kaat.

Same fourteen year span from 1962-1975 the only American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner for third basemen was Brooks Robinson.

Here's the irony.
When Jim Kaat switched over to the National League in 1975 Jim Palmer won the Gold Glove for American League pitchers, Palmer was one of Brooks Robinson's closest friends, if not the closest.

File that fun fact under the "Truth is stranger than fiction"

Not for nothing, Kaat won two more Gold Gloves in 1975-1976 pitching for the NL Phillies, retired from the game after the 1976 season thus ending his remarkable string of sixteen consecutive Gold Gloves.

Here's another equally remarkable fun fact.
From 1990 to 2008 Greg Maddux won the National League Gold Glove Award for pitchers 18 of those 19 years.
If Maddux won Gold in 2003 we'd be talking about Maddux, not Kaat,

Trivia.
What NL pitcher won the Gold Glove in 2003 snapping Maddux string at 13 consecutive
I had to look that up, I never would have guessed it,

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 09-27-23, 09:59 PM

I'll guess: *Lincecum?

**stevenash** · 09-27-23, 10:16 PM

Hampton, Braves.

**BradytheK9** · 11-25-23, 11:58 PM

Was Grienke playing then? If so it may have been him

**TheGoldenGoose** · 11-26-23, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by stevenash

Hampton, Braves.

Great trivia question nash. I admit had to google it but Mike Hampton won the pitcher’s gold glove in 2003. And that’s not easy for a lefty to do. Won consistently wagering on Maddux because although not overpowering he could hit his target with precision on the black both sides of the plate. Maddux was money.

**TheGoldenGoose** · 11-26-23, 05:04 AM

Used to listen to Orioles games on my transistor radio as I fell asleep when a kid. Brooks was a very “clutch hitter”. The guy always had fantastic ABs with ducks on the pond.
TRUTH!