Baseball trailblazer Frank Robinson dies at 83 5A-SOUTH

Crowding the plate, fearsome and fearless, Frank Robinson hammered his way into the Hall of Fame.

His legacy, however, was cemented that day in 1975 when he simply stood in the dugout at old Cleveland Stadium — the first black manager in Major League Baseball.

Robinson, the only player to earn the MVP award in both leagues and a Triple Crown winner, died Thursday at 83. He had been in failing health and in hospice care at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. MLB said he was with family and friends at the time.

“Frank Robinson’s resume in our game is without parallel, a trailblazer in every sense, whose impact spanned generations,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Robinson hit 586 home runs — he was fourth on the career list behind only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays when he retired and now ranks 10th. An MVP with Cincinnati and Baltimore, he led the Orioles to their first World Series championship in 1966.

“Frank Robinson and I were more than baseball buddies. We were friends. Frank was a hard-nosed baseball player who did things on the field that people said could never be done,” Aaron posted on Twitter. “Baseball will miss a tremendous human being,” he said. An All-Star outfielder in 12 seasons and a first-ballot selection to Cooperstown, Robinson also was a Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove outfielder and a bruising runner.

But his place in the sport’s history extended far beyond the batter’s box and basepaths.

Robinson fulfilled his quest to become the first African-American manager in the big leagues when he was hired by the Cleveland Indians. His impact was immediate and memorable.

The Indians opened at home that year and Robinson, still active, batted himself second as the designated hitter. In the first inning, he homered off Doc Medich and the crowd went crazy, cheering the whole April afternoon as Cleveland beat the Yankees.

The Reds, Orioles and Indians have retired his No. 20 and honored him with statues at their stadiums.

Robinson later managed San Francisco, Baltimore and Montreal. He became the first manager of the Washington Nationals after the franchise moved from Montreal for the 2005 season — the Nationals put him in their Ring of Honor.

More than half the major league teams have had black managers since his debut with Cleveland.

Robinson later spent several years working as an executive for MLB and for a time oversaw the annual Civil Rights Game. He advocated for more minorities throughout baseball and worked with former Commissioner Bud Selig to develop the Selig Rule, directing teams to interview at least one minority candidate before hiring a new manager.

For all he did on and off the field, Robinson was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.

Brook Robinson, a fellow first-ballot Hall of Famer, said he spoke to his Baltimore teammate and longtime friend a few days ago. “He was the best player I ever played with,” he said.

Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre played against and worked with Frank Robinson for years.

“He was a tough nut,” Torre recalled at the owners’ meetings in Orlando, Florida. “He never lost that feistiness, which puts a smile on your face … He was always that guy that commanded a lot of respect and he had a presence about him.”

Born Aug. 21, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas, Robinson attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, Calif., and was a basketball teammate of future NBA great Bill Russell. But it was on the diamond, rather than court, where fame awaited Robinson.

“We all know we lost one of the Greats,” Russell tweeted. Starting out in an era when Mays, Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams were the big hitters, Robinson more than held his own over 21 seasons — if anything, many who watched Robinson felt he never got his full due as an all-time great. He finished with 1,812 RBIs and making her presence felt for the Lady Wolves, scoring eight of the team’s first 13 points as Lake Hamilton built an early 13-4 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

Thornton’s scoring output slowed over the next three quarters as she looked to get others involved offensively, but the guard still finished with a game-high 17 points.

“It’s been that way consistently in every game,” said Condley. “She’s been the one that I feel like other teams have to scheme to try to take her away.

“It’s just opened things up and made it easier for the other girls and the other girls have accepted that. When Aspen gets the opportunity, she’ll take it; if not, she’s great at distributing and giving it to her teammates. I think she just wants to win.”

While Tia Mullenix, Nya Moody and Jenny Peake joined the scoring column in the second quarter, the Lady Wolves continued to limit Fair’s offensive opportunities. Lake Hamilton held the Lady War Eagles to just three points on one field goal to stretch the lead to 22-7 at the break.

“We have definitely proven that we play much better when we can get that early lead,” Condley said. “In those games, it hasn’t been that our offense has been fantastic; our defense has been coming around. We’re making it really hard on other teams and all of their shots are contested, which makes it hard for them to get any kind of rhythm.”

Peake buried two 3-pointers early in the third quarter before Fair woke up on offense. Senior Jalaya Avery had six points, all in the paint, as the Lady War Eagles more than doubled their score with 11 points in the frame.

Leading 32-18 entering the final period, the Lady Wolves put the game away with a 13-2 run to squash any chance at a comeback bid. Aryn Hughes, Meg Harrison and Mullenix combined for 11 points in the fourth quarter as Lake Hamilton stretched its lead to as many as 25 points before cruising to its fifth consecutive win.

Peake finished with 10 points for the Lady Wolves, while Hughes added seven points and Mullenix chipped in with six points. Senior guard Jada Evans paced the Lady War Eagles with nine points and Aviannna Turner had seven points.

Currently in sole possession of first place in the conference, Lake Hamilton will look to avenge a 38-32 overtime loss against visiting Hot Springs (11-9, 7-3) tonight at Wolf Arena.

“We don’t lose, we learn, and I feel like we learned a lot about ourselves in those games that we lost,” said Condley.

“I feel like we’re a lot better at those deficiencies that we had then, but we’re getting ready to see Friday night if we have gotten better and if we can go and execute. Hopefully, the scoreboard takes care of itself if we can do those things.”

hit .294 — he played in the World Series five times, and homered in each of them.

Robinson was the only player to hit a ball completely out of old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and once connected for grand slams in consecutive innings of a game. But he didn’t just slug away, as evidenced by a .389 onbase average boosted by 1,420 walks against 1,532 strikeouts. Extremely alert on the bases, he had 204 steals.

Robinson broke in with a bang as a 20-year-old big leaguer. He tied the first-year record with 38 home runs for Cincinnati in 1956, scored a league-high 122 times and was voted NL Rookie of the Year. He was the 1961 NL MVP after batting .323 with 37 homers and 124 RBIs for the pennant-winning Reds, and reached career highs in runs (134) and RBIs (136) in 1962.

His managerial debut came 28 years after Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier as a player.

“Every time I put on this uniform, I think of Jackie Robinson,” Frank Robinson said as he began his new role.

Jackie Robinson’s widow, Rachel, and daughter Sharon paid tribute.

“Frank Robinson was a dear friend and realized one of Jack’s great hopes, becoming baseball’s first African-American manager. He was remarkable and made us all feel proud for his many contributions to baseball and to society,” they said together in a statement.

Tough and demanding, he went 1,065-1,176 overall as a big league manager.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara, and daughter Nichelle.

There was no immediate word on funeral arrangements.