Al Bumbry, Bobby Grich, Ken Singleton and Cal Ripken Jr. joined Glenn Clark Radio recently to remember Brooks Robinson. Here’s what they had to say.
“If Brooks had a bad day, you could never tell it by his demeanor. … He was always very pleasant to me in the clubhouse and away from the clubhouse. I remember once when I wanted to try to play at Caves Valley, which is where he lived, I got somewhat of a lukewarm response from Jim Palmer about him taking me over there. And I went and talked to Brooks and Brooks said, ‘Oh Bee, the very next time we have an opening, we’ll take you.’ And it must have been three or four days later, a week at the most, he said ‘Bee, can you play?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ He said, ‘Come on over!'”
– Orioles Hall of Famer Al Bumbry Sept. 27 on what Brooks Robinson was willing to do for his teammates
“Had I come up with another organization or studied another player, I would not have been as good a player as I was. I got my total jump [on the ball] from Brooks Robinson. … Nobody had any more range than I had in the history of the game and that was because of what I learned from Brooks Robinson.”
– Orioles Hall of Famer and six-time All-Star Bobby Grich Sept. 27 on the impact Brooks Robinson had on his career
“Mark Belanger and his wife, Dee, threw a party for the team during spring training. The whole team gathered. Everybody was invited. My mom happened to be down in Miami at the time, just wanted to see what the Orioles were all about. She came to the party, and she struck up a conversation with Brooks Robinson. He was very gracious, very nice to her, very kind. He became my mom’s second-favorite player on the team after me. There were days when Brooks was a close 1B!”
– Orioles Hall of Famer Ken Singleton Sept. 27 on what Brooks Robinson meant to him and his family
“I always thought it was the right thing [to stay]. Brooksie came in from another state, from Little Rock, and the city grabbed a hold of him and he grabbed a hold of the city and it was like that was his place. I grew up here! And so watching Brooksie interact with everyone through thick and thin and being stable so everyone could root for him, especially me. That was something I learned, I would say directly from Brooksie, just watching how he handled himself.”
– Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Oct. 3 on how Brooks Robinson staying with the Orioles for his entire career made him want to do the same
Photo Credits: Colin Murphy/PressBox and Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles