Even though Frank Robinson lived his life in the shadows of others, he managed to carve out his niche of greatness in the sport of baseball. The Hall of Fame baseball player died on Thursday at 83, and many mourned his passing and praised his accomplishments.
Robinson had been battling bone cancer for a couple of years, and succumbed to the disease, dying in hospice care in Southern California. He leaves behind a legacy of being a trailblazer, both on and off the field.
Home run king Henry Aaron wrote on Twitter about his relationship with not only a rival, but a close confidant.
“Frank Robinson and I were more than baseball buddies. We were friends. Frank was a hard-nosed baseball player who did things on the field that people said could never be done. I’m so glad I had the chance to know him all of those years. Baseball will miss a tremendous human being,†Aaron posted.
Chasing Aaron
Ironically it was Aaron that got most of the attention when the two were playing, even though Robinson accomplished something Aaron did not. Robinson was named MVP in both the National and American League, the only player to achieve the honor. He also won the Triple Crown. He also led the league in slugging three years in row, 1960-1962, beating out Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial and Ernie Banks.
But when Aaron and Robinson were named to the Hall of Fame, it was Aaron that got the accolades, garnering 406 of the 415 votes. Robinson got 370, a number that would have been the leader in many other years. He harbored no resentment, though, and was unapologetic about his intense style of play.
“I never relaxed on a ball field,†Robinson said “I have always believed in going all out all the time.â€
Managing History
He took that same philosophy of intensity when he was named the first African American manager by the Cleveland Indians in 1975. His first season the team had a 79-80 record, and had an 81-78 record in 1976. After a poor start in 1977, the team fired him.
Undeterred, Robinson got a manager’s job in 1981 with San Francisco, staying there until 1984. He then went to his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, first in the front office, then as their skipper in 1988. He won AL Manager of the Year in 1989, taking the team from a 54-107 mark to 87-75 the following season.
He was not an easy man to play for, however. Players feared the famous Robinson stare. One of his players, Rico Carty, described what it was like to play for fiery competitor.
“He wants us to play exactly like he used to,†Carty said.
After managing to an overall mark of 1,065-1,176, Robinson worked for MLB in a variety of front office jobs, including vice president of on-field operations.
Former high school classmate and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, summed up the sentiments of many in Twitter post Thursday.
“Heartbreaking news in the passing of my Dear Friend & McClymondsHS classmate Frank Robinson. It was my pleasure & great honor to have known him. We all know we lost one of the Greats, what we really lost was a Friend,†Russell wrote.
