Robinson, Frank 1935–

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Frank Robinson 1935–

Professional baseball player, coach, manager

At a Glance…

Faced Fast Pitches and Bigotry

The Star People Loved To Hate

Became Baseball’s First Black Manager

Managed the Orioles

Selected writings

Sources

Frank Robinson broke one of major league baseball’s most visible barriers when he was named manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. An accomplished player whose abilities earned him quick induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, Robinson became a pioneer for blacks in the sport’s management and executive ranks. After more than four decades in baseball, he became the assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 1990. Few of the goals Robinson has set for himself have eluded him over a long and fruitful career. Baltimore Sun reporter Tom Keegan wrote that Robinson “has built a reputation as a sound baseball man with a deep passion for the game, an up-front individual who doesn’t shy away from a confrontation.”

Robinson was once considered one of baseball’s most temperamental and aggressive players—and one of the sport’s rudest managers. An Ebony contributor charitably described him as “one of the most startling men in baseball and a nostalgic carry-back to the old days of the game—the days of hard hitting and harder fielding, of bench-sniping, occasionally brawls, and plain old cussedness.” That was the Robinson reputation for 20 years, but middle age and front office responsibilities mellowed the man considerably. Ken Rosenthal noted in the Los Angeles Times that Robinson “is now fulfilling the role of patient master. Relentless? Obsessed? Abrupt? He is none of those things anymore.”

Frank Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1935, the youngest of ten children in what was essentially a single-parent household. Robinson’s father deserted the family when he was an infant, and his mother struggled to provide her children with the basic necessities. When Robinson was four his mother moved the family to Oakland, California. There he grew up, determined to be a professional baseball player despite what seemed like insurmountable odds.

“I never really knew my own father,” Robinson told Sports Illustrated., he was “But it didn’t bother me. My mother, my brothers and sisters. I was always right in the middle of a bunch of bigger boys, and they’d rough me up and give me information. They were always keeping my feet on the ground, making me see the outlook from other sides.” Living in a mixed-race neighborhood of West Oakland, Robinson spent most of his waking hours on the sandlot, playing baseball and planning his future in the major leagues. Robinson’s devotion to baseball continued into high school, where he played third base and even pitched a game or two. He also played basketball with

At a Glance…

Born August 31, 1935, in Beaumont, TX; son of Frank and Ruth (Shaw) Robinson; married Barbara Ann Cole, October 28, 1961; children: Frank Kevin, Nichelle. Education: Attended Xavier University.

Professional baseball player, 1956-77. Cincinnati Reds, player, 1956-65; Baltimore Orioles, player, 1966-71, coach, 1978-80, 1985-87, manager, 1988-91, assistant to general manager, 1991—; Los Angeles Dodgers, player, 1972; California Angels, player, 1973-74, coach, 1977; Cleveland Indians, player, 1974-77, manager, 1975-77; San Francisco Giants, manager, 1981-84.

Selected awards: Named National League Rookie of the Year, 1956; member of All-Star Team, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974; named National League Most Valuable Player, 1961; named American League Most Valuable Player, 1966; named American League Manager of the Year, 1982, 1989; inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, 1982.

Addresses: Office —Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 333 West Camden St., Baltimore, MD 21201.

Bill Russell, who later became one of professional basketball’s most famous stars.

Faced Fast Pitches and Bigotry

Right out of high school Robinson signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization. He was sent to the Class C team in Ogden, Utah, for the 1953 season. The California-raised Robinson quickly found much to dislike in Ogden. The only movie theater in town did not admit blacks, and most of the restaurants were segregated as well. Despite the racism Robinson shined on the field, batting .348, leading his team in home runs, and hitting 20 doubles and six triples. When he requested a move from third base to the outfield, his defense improved as well.

Robinson found himself in an even more tense racial situation in 1954 and 1955, when he played in the South Atlantic League. Fans in cities such as Macon, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina, hurled abuse at the young player, and he admits it got under his skin. By the time he was called to the Cincinnati Reds in 1956, he told Sports Illustrated, “quiet and withdrawn,” both afraid and unwilling to associate with his teammates. On the field, however, his first major league performance was nothing short of dazzling. He batted .290 with 83 runs batted in (RBI) and hit a rookie record-tying 26 home runs. He was voted National League rookie of the year and was talked about as a sure prospect for superstardom.

The Star People Loved To Hate

By 1961, when Robinson helped the Reds win their first pennant in two decades, he was one of the most detested men in baseball. His aggressive use of spikes on the base path and his penchant for hitting blistering home runs did not endear him to his opponents. So much animosity developed between Robinson and the Reds’ general manager Bill DeWitt that Robinson threatened to retire in 1962, but even amidst the tension Robinson was able to compile remarkable statistics. In 1961 he batted .323 with 37 home runs, and in 1962, he hit a phenomenal .342 with 39 homers and 136 RBI. He was voted the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1961, and was paid a then-record salary in excess of $60,000. But problems continued between Robinson and the Cincinnati front office, so in the offseason of 1965 the Reds traded their star to the Baltimore Orioles.

Some observers hinted darkly that at 30, Robinson was past his prime. Sports Illustrated correspondent Mark Kram noted: “At Baltimore his prestige would be in a precarious position. For the Orioles, he alone could mean a pennant.” Robinson brought the Orioles a pennant and more, for his two home runs in the 1966 World Series helped Baltimore to a four-game sweep. It was the first World Series championship ever for the Orioles, and soon after they won, Robinson was named American League MVP. He was the first baseball star ever to win MVP in both the National League and the American League. The Orioles raised Robinson’s salary to $100,000 per year and filled their promotional materials with clips of Robinson highlights, including a home run that completely cleared Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.

Robinson remembers his years playing for the Orioles as his favorites. In Baltimore he assumed a leadership role, and he began to study the managing techniques of Earl Weaver. All told, Robinson helped the Orioles to win four pennants and two World Series titles in five years, while simultaneously becoming the 11th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. Robinson’s years in Baltimore saw another important step in his career as well. In the offseason he began managing the Santurce Cangrejeros (Crabbers), a top team in the Puerto Rican winter league. Early in 1969 Robinson brought the winter league pennant to Santurce and earned his first Manager of the Year honors.

Became Baseball’s First Black Manager

Robinson, whose 586 career home runs put him fourth on the all-time list, made no secret of his managerial ambitions as his playing career wound down. While with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then the California Angels, he often expressed the desire to play for an organization that would be willing to track him into a management or front office position. The difficulty was that in the mid-1970s blacks were well represented on the field as players but had yet to make any inroads into executive positions with the clubs. Robinson’s wish came true in 1975, when he moved to the Cleveland Indians, first as a player-manager and then simply as the manager.

Well aware that he was making history, Robinson chose to downplay the racial overtones of the situation, asking instead to be judged simply on his merits. He managed the Indians until 1977, pushing their record over .500 during the 1976 season. He was fired after a round of intense clubhouse bickering and rumors that he could not tolerate less talented players. Robinson answered the charges in a Sports Illustrated feature. “They say catchers or .200 hitters or minor league players make the best managers, because they are ‘students of the game’ and are understanding of difficult situations,” he said. “I’ve heard just the opposite from top players. ‘How can that guy tell me what to do?’ they say. ‘How can he understand me when he has never been at the level I’m at?’”

Chafing at the innuendos that surrounded his Cleveland days, Robinson returned to Baltimore as first base coach under his former manager, Earl Weaver. In 1980 he was given a second chance to manage, this time in the National League with the San Francisco Giants. Robinson led the Giants to back-to-back winning years in 1980 and 1981, then involved them in a close pennant race in 1982 that earned him National League Manager of the Year honors. Once again conflicts developed. Robinson was curt with the press, short of patience with some of his younger players, and stymied by an uncooperative front office. He was fired in 1984.

Robinson told the Los Angeles Times: “After I was fired for the second time as manager, I think I finally got a different perspective on myself. After I looked at myself and the way I’d lived, maybe I was wrong more than I was right. Maybe it’s not the way you look at yourself, but the way other people see you. “The baseball legend subjected himself to a close self-analysis that he said improved his managerial skills in the long run. ’“I studied Frank Robinson,” he concluded, “putting things in order and deciding this is what Frank Robinson wants to accomplish and this is who he wants to be.”

Managed the Orioles

Robinson brought a new attitude back to the Baltimore Orioles when he took over as manager six games into the 1988 season. Baltimore had already lost its first six games and was on the way to a record-setting season-opening streak of losses that seemed to set the tone for the season. By October of 1988 the Orioles had suffered 101 losses. Some observers felt it would take years for the team to rebound. Robinson refused to adopt a defeatist attitude, nor did he cast blame on others in the Orioles’ organization. Instead he hired batting coach Tom McCraw and pitching coach Al Jackson to help him strengthen a team of relatively raw youngsters.

The 1989 Orioles, an array of rookies, players who had been released by other clubs, and struggling pitchers, began to mesh early in the spring and dominated first place in the American League East until well into September, losing a pennant bid in the next-to-last game of the season. A team that had been 54-101 in 1988, finished 87-75 in 1989, and Robinson was the unanimous choice for American League Manager of the Year. Robinson told the Washington Post: “When I took over, there was a job to be done, to help rebuild the organization and build a solid contender. The job is not done, and I want to finish that work. We want to be respected contenders every year.”

Unfortunately for Robinson, the Orioles slumped to under .500 in 1990 for a fifth place finish. When the team began 1991 at 13-24 under Robinson, he was relieved of his duties as manager. This time, however, he was not fired but promoted. The Orioles named him assistant general manager. Working as one of general manager Roland Hemond’s two chief lieutenants, the new position gave Robinson input on roster decisions.

Noting that Hemond’s contract will expire in the 1990s, some observers have speculated that Robinson may well take his place as the Orioles’ general manager. Indeed, Frank Robinson’s career serves as a brilliant rebuttal to those who claim blacks lack the ability to manage or run major league franchises. The former MVP and recent Manager of the Year has never compromised his high standards of excellence. Whether he continues to wear a tie to work or returns to the dugout as a manager, Robinson plans to continue working hard and to do the very best job he can for his employers. “People think things have come easy for me,” he told the Washington Post. “I worked hard to make myself a good player, and I worked hard to be a better manager.”