Classic lived up to its name

June 24, 2009 08:17 am

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In the first inning of Sunday's inaugural Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, Brooks Robinson hit a ground ball to the shortstop, stumbled out of the batter's box ...

... And fell flat on his face.

Robinson, 72, got right up and laughed good-naturedly along with teammates who patted him on the back, and the crowd of more than 7,000 who showed their appreciation to perhaps the finest third baseman who ever lived.

Robinson's header was the only thing that fell flat on its face, as by any measure one might care to employ, the event was an overwhelming success.

Baseball's legendary players are often referred to as immortals, their homers and other feats described in hero-worshipping language that would have made the Greek poet Homer say, "Hey, get a grip."

The old-timers who came to Cooperstown to play on Sunday looked decidedly mortal, some with bellies hanging over their belts, others with gray hair and even gray beards.

But they were wonderful.

Dads and moms in the stands could point to a player and tell the kids how good he was and how special it was to see him on a baseball field again.

"You know, 99 percent of the sons won't know who I am," Robinson, one of five Hall of Famers who played in the game, told our Rob Centorani on Friday. "They'll say, 'I thought you were dead,' or 'Didn't you used to play with Babe Ruth?'

Babe Ruth never could have played third base like Brooks Robinson. In an era of terrific American League third basemen, he won the Gold Glove _ signifying the best fielder at his position _ in 16 consecutive seasons.

Robinson made so many incredible fielding plays in the 1970 World Series when his Baltimore Orioles defeated the Cincinnati Reds that he was named the Series' Most Valuable Player and received a new car.

That prompted Reds catcher Johnny Bench to say: "Gee! If we had known he wanted a new car that bad, we'd have chipped in and bought him one."

Robinson, now president of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, didn't receive a car for his efforts Sunday, but he did garner affection and gratitude from the multitudes at Doubleday Field.

Also deserving gratitude and accolades are Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson and his staff for putting on such a terrific event in the wake of Major League Baseball's cancellation of the long-running Baseball Hall of Fame Game.

We liked this Classic game much better, and look forward to many more Father's Day games to come.