04/19/24
February 17, 2005
I'm ready for the long run: He is the only person to win the MVP in both leagues. He won the Triple Crown. He's #5 on the home run list. He was the first black manager in the majors. He's in the Hall of Fame. Now Frank Robinson (managerial record), who managed the struggling Expos, is getting the Nationals ready for their first season. He's looking forward to it.
posted by kirkaracha to baseball at 07:01 PM - 5 comments
Riveting
posted by StarFucker at 08:44 PM on February 17, 2005
I just want to say that I love Frank Robinson. In a deeply conflicting way. Talk about dedication.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:41 AM on February 18, 2005
I have some issues with Frank Robinson's "I"m Old School, dammit!" stint as baseball's school marm disciplinarian. He seemed during that time too much the "in my day, we didn't have these fancy 'fax machines' or 'hula hoops' like the youngsters today! Hey you kids, get offa my lawn!" retired player. However, that doesn't remotely overshadow a truly stunning career in the game, and his deep commitment to baseball. And while his managerial chops are perhaps questionable (although he has not exactly pulled a Jackson and picked great teams to manage), his loyalty to the game is not. This is a man who apparently left the playing field just 14 homeruns shy of 600 to focus on his managerial job, because he felt it was far more important for the game that he become a successful black manager, than to pad his own stats. Certainly I wish him, and the team, well ('cuz I got mine already, this year! Whoohoo!)- the Expos certainly got jerked around alot these last few years! And the unintended consequence might be the competitiveness of the Orioles in the AL East, since they no longer have a captive fan base.... Fun trivia I learned today: Frank Robinson played on the same high school baseball team as Curt Flood and Vada Pinson... and the same high school basketball team as Bill Russell. Bill Russell was, of course, leader the mighty Boston Celtics, winner of 11 championships in 13 years in the NBA, including 2 of 3 as player manager. Yep, he was the first black manager in the NBA!
posted by hincandenza at 11:08 AM on February 18, 2005
One of the very, very few bright spots of the last years of being an Expos fan was Frank. I agree that his managerial chops might be questionable, but it meant so much to the fans and the club to have someone with his dignity and integrity sitting on the bench... 'specially after that toad Loria fired Felipe, probably the living Montreal sports figure closest to sainthood 'lo these many years.
posted by docgonzo at 12:08 PM on February 20, 2005
He was also the last player to hit a grand slam in the Nationals new home, RFK Stadium.