7

THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 6, 2023 ~ The Old Sachem ~ Page 7 A Gold Glover By Bill Stewart B rooks Robinson was a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. His nicknames were “The Human Vacuum Cleaner,” “Mr. Hoover” and “Mr. Oriole.” Brooks was born May 1937 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and died Sept. 26, 2023, in Owings, Maryland. He played his fi rst game as an Oriole on Sept. 17, 1955. His lifetime stats were .267 batting average, 2,848 hits, 268 home runs and 1,357 runs batted in. During his career he was an all-star 18 times, twice a member of the Orioles World Series Championship, American League MVP in 1964, World Series MVP in 1970, 16 Gold Glove Awards, Roberto Clemente Award in 1972, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame member and Major League Baseball All Century Team member. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. Born in Little Rock as Brooks Calbert Robinson, he delivered papers for The Arkansas Gazette and became the operator of the scoreboard and sold soft drinks at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock. His father played second base for a local semipro team and taught Brooks to play as a youngster. When Brooks got older, he played for Little Rock Central High School and the American Legion Doughboys for the M.M. Eberts Post Number One in Little Rock; the team reached the regional fi nals in 1952 when he was 15 and reached the sectional tournament in 1953. He was approached by the University of Arkansas to play both baseball and basketball and was awarded a full scholarship, but he wanted to play pro baseball. Linsday Deal went to Capital View Methodist Church with the Robinson family and had been a teammate of the Baltimore Orioles’ Paul Richards on a minor league team and told Richards of Brooks’ abilities. Scouts came to see Robinson play and he was off ered to sign for the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Giants and the Orioles. Each team off ered $4,000 and Brooks decided on the Orioles. He made his debut for Baltimore on June 3, 1955, at second base. He batted two for four. He played the next season at Class AA Antonio Missions. He was brought up late in the season, played in 15 games – demonstrating his terrifi c fi elding abilities – but only batted .227. Brooks competed with Hall of Famer George Kell in spring training for third base, and Kell was shifted to first base. He suff ered many injuries during the season and only played 50 games. The Orioles had him play winter ball in Havana, and he led the league with nine home runs. He contributed to a no-hitter by making three terrific fi elding plays. After the 1958 season, he joined the Arkansas National Guard. He couldn’t practice so he wasn’t in shape for the 1959 season. The Orioles sent him to the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA of the Pacifi c League. He became an everyday player in 1960 and remained there through 1965. That led to his fi rst all-star selection. On July 15 in 1962, he became the fi rst Oriole to hit for the cycle: single, double, triple and home run. He batted .303, hit 23 home runs and had 86 RBIs. During the 1963 season, he had played 462 consecutive games when the manager benched him – hitting only .219 by the all-star game. He fi nished the season hitting .251, 11 home runs and 67 RBIs. He worked with coach Gene Woodling in the off season. He was an outstanding player for the Orioles in 1966 and 1971 when the club won the World Series. In 1970 he was awarded the Hickok Belt given to the top Saugus resident named to Dean’s List for spring 2023 semester Saint Anselm College has released the Dean’s List of high academic achievers for the second semester of the 20222023 school year. To be eligible for this honor, a student must have achieved a grade point average of 3.4 or better in the semester with at least 12 credits of study which award a letter grade. A total of 557 students representing 24 states and 5 countries received this honor. Mark W. Cronin, Dean of the College, announced that Saugus resident Julia Azzari (Biology [BSH], 2023) was named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2023 semester. About Saint Anselm College: Founded in 1889, Saint Anselm College is a four-year liberal arts college providing a 21st century education in the Catholic, Benedictine tradition. Located in southern New Hampshire near Boston and the seacoast, Saint Anselm is well known for its strong liberal arts curriculum, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, a highly successful nursSaugus resident graduates from Marquette University Michael Sullivan of Saugus, Mass., graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sullivan earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration. Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university that draws over 7,500 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate and professional students from nearly all states and more than 60 countries. In addition to its nationally recognized academic programs, Marquette is known for its service learning programs and internships as students are challenged to use what they learn to make a diff erence in the world. Find out more about Marquette at marquette.edu. ing program, a legacy of community service and a commitment to the arts. professional athlete of the year. In 1971 he played 50 games in a row without an error. His fi - nal season was 1977 where he often sat on the bench as the team had a new youngster, Doug DeCinces. His career totals were 2,896 games played, .267 batting average, at bat 10,654 times, 1,232 runs scored, 2,848 hits, 482 doubles, 68 triples, 268 home runs, 1,357 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, 860 bases on balls and 990 strikeouts. He became a color analyst for the Orioles TV games in retirement. An outstanding third baseman, probably the best ever, he will long be remembered in Major League Baseball. (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” “The Old Sachem,” Bill Stewart (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Joanie Allbee) writes a weekly column about sports – and sometimes he opines on current or historical events or famous people.) GRAND OPENING SPECIAL! GO TO REVERESELFSTORAGE.COM TO RESERVE ONLINE OR SCAN QR CODE • 100% Climate Controlled Facility • Newly Constructed Facility • 5000 Lb. Oversized Elevator • Secure Units–Various Sizes • State-Of-The-Art Surveillance Cameras • Secure Units–Various Sizes

8 Publizr Home