Robinson’s return stirs memories

Brooks Robinson played baseball at Lamar Porter Field, and Bill Valentine umpired there, and both were on hand several days ago for a bountiful fund-raising effort.

“Brooks was about five years younger than me, and I don’t recall I ever saw him play third base as an amateur,” Valentine said recently. “As an umpire, I’d had a lot of score keeping chores most of the time at Lamar Porter.

“Brooks and I both got to the Texas League at San Antonio in 1956. The next year we went up to Triple-A, at Vancouver. It just worked out that way.

“When Brooks was young, like with the San Antonio Missions, I knew I’d never seen a third baseman who could field with him, even at the age of 19 or so.”

Robinson, 76, spent several weeks battling various illnesses through the spring, prevailing a couple of weeks ago, saying confidently, “I’m on the way. I’m getting better.”

Sure enough, he hit his appearance target right on the nose. And it was well attended.

“The best I can recall, there have been at least two other fund-raisers at Lamar Porter,” Valentine said, “but looking at this crowd, I’m sure it’ll count out as the biggest.”

Robinson finished his career with 268 home runs. That total would have been 269, had it not been for an oddity in 1964, when he was at the peak of his ability that cost him a home run.

It occurred during an Aug. 2 game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City A’s in the Kansas City park. Robinson hit a ball that struck the left-field foul pole screen for an apparent home run. The ball bounced back on the field and umpire Emmett Ashford ruled it in play. Tagged out sliding into third base, Robinson was credited for a double instead for a home run.

After the game, Ashford admitted he might have missed it.

“After talking to my partners, I guess I was wrong,” he said. “I thought the ball hit the screen, below the fence.”

The damage? Well, very minimal. Brooks Robinson was credited with 28 home runs in 1964 instead of 29, and 118 RBI instead of 119. His 118 RBI still led the American League that season. As the league’s MVP, he batted .317 in 163 games.

Baltimore won the game, 8-7. Umpires are rarely that lucky on controversial decisions.

As missed calls go, the only consequence was that Robinson ended his career with one less home run.

“Brooks never said much to umpires on the field,” Bill Valentine said. “Unless it was ‘good morning.’ ”

Sports, Pages 16 on 06/25/2013

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