Brooks Robinson could sling the leather

 

Brooks Robinson snares one at the hot corner


Full disclosure: George Brett is my all-time favorite baseball player. My family was living in Overland Park, Kansas when Brett broke in with the Kansas City Royals. He played in a handful of games in 1973, but really began his Royals career in 1974, as the team's anchor at third base. I was 10 and the time, a wonder age to solidify myself as a fan of the Royals, and of the game itself. For me, that was a golden time. I was just a kid who loved sports and quickly learned to live and die with the Royals, and George Brett in particular. 


Even after noting all that, I have no problem casting my vote for Brooks Robinson as the greatest third baseman to have ever played the game. There is plenty of debate involving Robinson, Brett, Philadelphia's Mike Schmidt and Atlanta's Chipper Jones. Admittedly, my nod to Brooksie is a bit sentimental. 

I'll always be a George Brett guy, but Brooks has a special spot in my baseball heart because he was so much fun to watch handle third base, a spot baseball fans also know as "the hot corner." Robinson was an amazing defensive player, slinging the leather from ever angle, always jumping up to fire the ball over to first base. His great glove sometimes overshadowed his abilities at the plate, the Hall of Famer batted a career .267 with 268 home runs. For the record, Brett's offensive numbers are considerably better, and he was a solid defensive player, but not to the level Robinson was. 


George Brett was an athletic hero of mine, and that's not going to change. But as a baseball fan, my fondness for Robinson is unquestioned. Like Robinson, Brett wore No. 5, and that's no coincidence. Brett wore No. 25 when he first appeared with the Royals in 1973. The Royals' equipment manager switch Brett to No. 5 before the start of the 1974 season because he knew he Robinson was one of his favorite players. Brett went on finish third in the American League's Rookie of the Year voting behind Texas first baseman Mike Hargrove and shortstop Bucky "Bleeping" Dent, then of the Chicago White Sox, but of course a famed member of the New York Yankees.

Neither Hargrove nor Dent are Hall of Famers, while Brett absolutely is ... but I digress.

If you're a serious baseball fan and you want to do something on a lazy winter afternoon, find Ken Burns' "Baseball" Inning 8. There is a wonderful section on the Orioles and their 1970 World Series victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Brooks Robinson went on to win the World Series MVP, coming up huge in the field and at the plate. 

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