Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson

St. Martin's Griffin.

This review of Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson —a 2014 CASEY Award finalist—was originally published in April 2014 on one of my other outlets.

Don’t mind me—I’m just republishing some of my earlier book reviews of Baseball Hall of Fame biographies or memoirs so as to have them in the same place.

In Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson, Doug Wilson gives us the first comprehensive biography of the legendary Baltimore Orioles third baseman–the greatest defensive third baseman of all time. Wilson does a fine job in telling Brooks’s story.

The only downside is that Wilson was unable to sit down one on one with Robinson for an interview. This is, in part, due to Brooks’s time in recovering from injuries sustained in early 2012 at a South Florida casino. Wilson was able to speak with Earl Weaver prior to his passing away in January 2013 and a number of teammates, too.

Robinson is a class act and one of the nicest players you will ever meet. It is because of this that Robinson stands out in the Golden Era of baseball. His being on the Veterans Committee played a large role in seeing to it that Ron Santo was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. Until his recent bout with cancer and injuries of late, you would have a hard time getting him to say no. While other Hall of Famers would sign their autograph and move on to the next in line, Brooks not only signs but he also makes small talk with those people that he’s signing for. He takes pictures with them as well.

Robinson grew up a Cardinals fan in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he attended Central High School–graduating a few years before it was put on the map in the Civil Rights movement. His family instilled a hard work ethic in him.

From 1955 until his retirement in 1977, opponents learned that they shouldn’t hit the ball towards third base. In doing so, it was an automatic out with the Human Vacuum Cleaner stationed at the base. The Cincinnati Reds learned this the hard way during the 1970 World Series.

Brooks played all 23 seasons of his career with the Orioles–a feat that would be rare in this day and age alone considering free agency and salary dump trading. He became a role model both on and off the field as he honored the game with elegance, class, and character. In his career, he won 2 World Series, selected for 18 All-Star Games, won 16 straight Gold Gloves, and three MVP honors: AL, All-Star, and World Series. His 23 seasons with a single MLB team was matched only by Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox. Robinson would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1983 with 92%.

Years before Cal Ripken Jr. came along, it was Robinson defining greatness for the Orioles, becoming the face of the franchise following their move from St. Louis.