This day in baseball: Frank Robinson is Rookie of the Year
Posted: December 1, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Cincinnati Reds, Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball, MLB, National League, Rookie of the Year, sports Leave a commentFrank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds was unanimously voted the National League Rookie of the Year on December 1, 1956. After making his major league debut that year, Robinson had tied the then-record of 38 home runs by a rookie.

Baseball Almanac
Quote of the day
Posted: February 8, 2019 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports 3 CommentsWhether you’re trying to excel in athletics or in any other field, always practice. Look, listen, learn – and practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for work, no shortcut to the top.
~Frank Robinson
Rest in peace, Mr. Robinson.

Baseball Hall of Fame
Quote of the day
Posted: August 23, 2018 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Frank Robinson, quotes, sports 2 CommentsClose don’t count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades.
~Frank Robinson
Quote of the day
Posted: August 22, 2017 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Frank Robinson, quotes 2 CommentsI always tried to do the best. I knew I couldn’t always be the best, but I tried to be.
~Frank Robinson

cincinnati.com
Clearing the Bases, by Gene A. Budig
Posted: August 9, 2016 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Bill Madden, Bob Feller, Bobby Brown, books, Cal Ripken Jr, Frank Robinson, Gene Budig, George Brett, history, Joe Torre, Major League Baseball, Marty Springstead, Mike Ilitch, University of Kansas 3 CommentsGene Budig is a former American League President. He’s also a former chancellor of the University of Kansas, where I happen to work. Budig’s tenure as chancellor happened before my time at KU, but when his book Clearing the Bases came out, it was made available to employees of the university. A few weeks ago, a lady I work with came across a long-forgotten stack of the book, and knowing that I am a baseball fan, offered one to me.
Clearing the Bases: Nine Who Did It with Grit and Class offers biographical sketches of nine individuals who had an impact on the game of baseball. The book discusses Cal Ripken, Jr., Bobby Brown, George Brett, Joe Torre, Bob Feller, Mike Ilitch, Marty Springstead, Bill Madden, and Frank Robinson. Budig gives information about their backgrounds, their careers, and their accomplishments. Furthermore, Budig knew each of these individuals personally and offers his own candid insights into their character and impact.
Perhaps my favorite part about these biographies, however, is that they also make mention of community contributions that each of these men have made. Bobby Brown, for example, went to medical school and became a cardiologist. Joe Torre and his wife created the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, and he campaigns against any type of domestic abuse. Bob Feller served for four years in the United States Navy, right as he would’ve been in his prime as a baseball player.
Furthermore, Budig doesn’t talk merely about baseball players. He includes figures who have impacted the game in other ways. Marty Springstead was an umpire. Michael Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings, and founded Little Caesar’s Pizza. Bill Madden is a sportswriter.
This book is a fast read, too. I made my way through it in one afternoon and enjoyed every minute of it. Budig’s writing style is engaging and certainly not the over-complicated rhetoric that one often sees with academics. It appears there was a second edition of the book released a couple years after this one, titled Swinging For the Fences. I do not know whether there are any significant differences between that edition and Clearing the Bases. So far as I have been able to tell from what I’ve seen online, they appear to be the same book. That would be another title to watch for, if you are considering giving this one a read.
Quote of the day
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: Pop culture, Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Bull Durham, Emily Dickinson, Frank Robinson, Milt Pappas, movies, quotes, sports, Walt Whitman 1 CommentI believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshiped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn’t work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology.
You see, there’s no guilt in baseball, and it’s never boring… which makes it like sex. There’s never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn’t have the best year of his career. Making love is like hitting a baseball: you just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I’d never sleep with a player hitting under .250… not unless he had a lot of RBIs and was a great glove man up the middle.
You see, there’s a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys. I can expand their minds. Sometimes when I’ve got a ballplayer alone, I’ll just read Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to him, and the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen. ‘Course, a guy’ll listen to anything if he thinks it’s foreplay. I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe, and pretty. ‘Course, what I give them lasts a lifetime; what they give me lasts 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade. But bad trades are part of baseball – now who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God’s sake? It’s a long season and you gotta trust it. I’ve tried ’em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.
~Annie Savoy, Bull Durham