Editor’s observe: This column was initially printed on Oct. 3, 2023. Baltimore Fishbowl is resharing it to showcase its first place award this week within the Sports Column class of the Maryland, Delaware, and D.C. Press Association’s contest.
Orioles legend Brooks Robinson was a very good and respectable man. If you don’t know that by now – per week after his loss of life at 86 prompted hosannas all through the baseball world – then you definately’ve in all probability by no means heard of Mister Rogers both.
Every Baltimorean of a sure age appears to have a Brooksie story – nice ballplayer, better human being – and so they’ve poured in by the hour because the information of his passing on September 26.
Of all those I’ve heard, this one is by far the perfect. Surely there have been numerous others that Brooks stored to himself.
In 2007, Jason Policastro was working the annual Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award banquet in downtown Baltimore. Brooks was a featured speaker and one among Policastro’s jobs was to attend and escort him into the resort.
“I used to be perhaps 26 years previous,” mentioned Policastro, now a monetary advisor. “I’m standing out entrance when Brooks will get out of a cab. I’m about to shake his hand and out of an alley between the buildings comes this man saying ‘Brooks, Brooks!’”
The man, mentioned Policastro, gave the impression to be in his 40s, maybe older, and appeared to be dwelling on the road. He rooted round within the closest trash can, discovered a raggedy sheet of newspaper and politely ran as much as Brooks, saying, “Mr. Robinson, can I’ve your autograph?”
“Brooks doesn’t bat a watch,” mentioned Policastro. “He provides the man his autograph and so they chat fortunately for a pair minutes.”
Only after the person completed speaking, mentioned Policastro, did Brooks go inside, one among a whole lot, if no more than a thousand, hen dinner charity occasions at which he spoke over the a long time.
With all due respect for silent public sale cocktail events supporting the trigger du jour, I’d argue that there’s no better definition of charity than Brooksie’s second with the person on the sidewalk.
Said Policastro of the Hall of Fame third basemen from Little Rock, “Everything they are saying about him is true.”
This Sunday previous, earlier than the final recreation of this fabulous 101 win Orioles’ season (a 6-1 loss to Boston), I ran the story about Brooks and the homeless man by C. Peter Hoffberger, born a 12 months after the 18-year-old Robinson landed within the large leagues in ’55.
Hoffberger’s dad and mom had been the previous Alice Berney (1925-2016) and C. Jerold “Jerry” Hoffberger, who died at age 80 in 1999. Jerry Hoffberger owned half and finally nearly all of the group all through Robinson’s profession.
Of the story of Brooks and the unkempt stranger, Peter mentioned: “Most individuals solid off the homeless. But with Brooks the extraordinary is sort of a cliche.”
Which interprets into: Everything they are saying about Brooks is true.
In the basement of his dwelling close to the Park School, Hoffberger retains mementos of National Beer and the Orioles, two indelible symbols of Baltimore as soon as owned on the identical time by his father.
One picture exhibits Brooks and Jerry clasping arms in a close to embrace at a victory celebration after the 1970 World Series, the championship by which Robinson outlined greatness on the scorching nook. He signed it, “Jerry, my finest to you. Enjoyed our friendship. Brooks Robinson.”
Growing up when the Birds referred to as Memorial Stadium dwelling, the Hoffberger household seats had been behind the third base dugout. Traditionally, the house group makes use of the primary base dugout however, mentioned Peter, “the solar was proper in your eyes over there so we moved the Oriole dugout to 3rd.”
At third, he watched Brooks put together earlier than every pitch was thrown: The quiet, intense crouch, nimble on the balls of his ft, taking off his glove and placing it again on, eyes locked on the batter, shifting ahead simply an inch or so.
“I’d maintain seeking to see if he’d get distracted and he by no means did,” mentioned Hoffberger. “I can’t think about that self-discipline, going by way of that routine…” greater than a dozen occasions an inning multiplied by 9 innings occasions 162 video games a 12 months occasions 23 years. All with the Baltimore Orioles.
One time, younger Hoffberger didn’t look down at his personal ft till it was too late. A 16-year-old summer time intern within the membership’s PR division in 1972, Peter was within the Orioles’ clubhouse in the future and one way or the other didn’t discover that 6-foot-4, then 240-pound Boog Powell – who caught extra throws at first from Brooks than some other participant – was kneeling beside him.
“When I began doing the hat dance, [second basemen] Davey Johnson and [centerfielder] Paul Blair started howling,” mentioned Hoffberger. “Boog had slipped a pack of matches below the only of my shoe and gave me a scorching foot.”
Welcome to the large leagues, younger man.
As a teenager, Kiel McLaughlin’s father — the late Jim McLaughlin — stored packing containers of meticulously curated baseball playing cards at his dwelling in southwest Baltimore. He typically informed Kiel that the gathering – Mantle and Koufax; Aaron, Mays and Banks – can be value one thing in the future.
“Brooks was his favourite,” mentioned McLaughlin in a Facebook publish. “He informed tales of getting change from his Mom as a toddler and taking the bus from Pigtown to Memorial Stadium to see Brooks play.”
Going by way of his father’s assortment to see what “the best bidder” could be keen to pay, Kiel stumbled on a Brooks Robinson card. “I take into consideration him at nine-years-old pulling his hero from a pack and the way excited he should have been,” wrote McLaughlin.
That card, he mentioned the day after Brooks died, just isn’t on the market.
A closing thought. Would you imagine – given all that’s been mentioned concerning the man, notably the accolades at yesterday’s Camden Yards memorial – that Brooks Robinson was linked to fraud? It’s true, solely Brooksie wasn’t conscious of it.
If your father or grandfather or great-grandfather handed alongside a photograph or baseball signed by Brooks – and that forebear occurred to be given moments of unhealthy public habits – the memento could be a pretend.
Peter Hoffberger is aware of as a result of – unbeknownst to Brooks – he perpetrated the deception.
During his “scorching foot” summer time, Hoffberger labored with Bob Brown, Orioles chief PR man for 35 years. Before the group’s media division employed extra employees than the roster had aid pitchers, Bob just about ran the present single-handedly.
“It was Bob and me,” mentioned Hoffberger. “If a fan got here into the workplace with a criticism however they had been well mannered, I might assuage them by getting a participant’s autograph. Of course, everybody needed Brooks. So I’d get him to signal one thing and ship them on their approach.
“If they got here in and so they had been a jerk, additionally they bought a Brooks Robinson autograph, besides Brooks didn’t signal it. I did.”
Reasoned Hoffberger: “I wasn’t going to hassle Brooks for a jerk.”
On October 13, 1970, Rafael Alvarez noticed Dave McNally hit the one grand slam by a pitcher in World Series historical past on the fall traditional by which Brooks Robinson was the MVP. He will be reached by way of orlo.leini@gmail.com
