The legendary Brooks Robinson was honored with a larger than life statue in center field at Camden yards, his third statue unveiling “That is wonderful out there,” Robinson said after the ceremony. “I’ve admired some of the other ballparks that I’ve seen the statues in but Mr. Peter Angelos’ generosity here is great. Toby Mendez, I thought he did a fantastic job on all those statues out there.”
To go along with unveiling of the statue, there also was a pregame ceremony on the field that had the club’s 8th sellout, cheering and screaming- and it also afforded them one more chance to honor the club’s legends. The fans eruptedrwitha standing ovation and upon his arrival to the field, they cheered again when a smaller version of the bronze sculpture was unveiled in front of the pitcher’s mound. The Orioles stood in their dugout watching, and so did the Red Sox. Most longtime Orioles fans know something about Robinson’s Hall of Fame statistics, and they were outstanding. He played 23 seasons with the Birds capturing 16 Gold Gloves, a record total for a position player. He also played in 18 All-star Games and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1964, and the World Series MVP for his memorable performance in 1970. He was inducted on the 1st ballot to the Hall of Fame in 1983. Robinson still follows the Orioles very closely and talked on Saturday about how this year’s edition has him thrilled with its success.
