Frank Robinson was in a class by himself as a two-league player. He's the only man to be chosen MVP in both leagues, to hit All-Star Game homers for both, to hit 200 or more home runs in both, and to become the first black manager in both, piloting Cleveland from 1975 to 1977 and San Francisco from 1981 to 1984. In 1989, while managing Baltimore, he matched the Manager of the Year award he'd won in 1982 with the Giants.
Robinson also holds the record for hitting home runs in the most ballparks and, while his 586 homers place him fourth on the all-time list, Robinson also ranks in the top ten in career runs, RBI, and total bases. The complete player, he stole 20 bases or more three times, and even led the majors in intentional walks in four straight years (1961-1964).
Like all professionals, he produced under pressure. Robby made a dramatic debut as a player-manager, homering in his first at bat for the Indians. Similarly, he won the hearts of Baltimore fans shortly after joining the Orioles by hitting the first home run, a 540-foot shot out of Memorial Stadium.
Robinson broke in with Cincinnati in 1956, tied Wally
Berger's rookie record by hitting 38 homers, and was
named Rookie of the Year. The first MVP award came in
1961, when he hit .323 with 37 homers, and stole 22
bases. In 1966 he hit 49 homers, knocked in 122 runs,
and hit .316 to win the Triple Crown; that year he led
Baltimore to a pennant and earned his second MVP
award. Robby's home run off Don Drysdale in the World
Series provided the only run in Game Four of an Oriole
sweep, and he was named MVP of the Series as well.
He played in six All-Star Games for the NL and five
for the AL. Yet, he will probably always be remembered
as an Oriole. When he was traded to the Dodgers,
number 20 became the first Baltimore uniform to be
retired, and it's the one he wears in his 1982 Hall of
Fame portrait.
-Total Baseball
Sounds pretty good huh? A hall-of-fame career. His name all over the record books. Impressive stats. First black manager in both leagues. So what would lead Frank Robinson to become vice president of on-field operations for Major League Baseball? Why didn't he just continue his rich, luxorious life living somewhere not far from Heaven? What is going on in Frank Robinson's head right now?
That seems to be a question that not many people can provide with an answer. Robinson handed out a 10-game suspension to Carl Everett on Thursday, which was immediatly appealed for, what I think, buying some time for Nixon to come back. Everett blamed the media for his actions. "The whole thing is that the majority of the media tried to make a monster out of a guy; Everyone is quick to judge. I fault the media. ... I would say I didn't do the things people said I did."
Could you think before making a decision, Robinson looked at this quote and gave him a lesser suspension than he was going to give him? I think so. Everett did not headbutt Ron Kulpa. Headbutting is forcing your head back and swerving it forward to intentionally hurt a guy. It causes a concussion or at least a broken nose. Everett barely nudged the guy, who must have taken an acting class before the game. He pulled a Bobby Cox. Twice. Ten games, simple enough.
But when I saw Everett explode on national television, I knew this was gonna be a 20-gamer. The way Robinson went around doing his job earlier this season, being a guy who appeared to despise retaliation, this was going to be multiple week suspension. This is the man who gave Pedro Martinez five games for hitting Roberto Alomar in the butt, after Charles Nagy hit Jose Offerman in the shoulder with a pitch that could have been intended for the head. This was the man who gave Chad Krueter eight games for retrieving his hat from the stands after a Cubs fan snatched it right off his head. What are we supposed to think Frank? Just let it go? I guess so. OK, a 20-game suspension. He doesn't deserve it, but this is Frank Robinson, whatcha gonna do.
Wait a second. Did I just hear? Your lying. Really? 10 games! He only gave him 10 games! WOW!!! Gee, maybe he's hearing our cries. He actually made sense! Hold up. Just a minute. What is going on in that big head of Frank Robinson? Is he Mr. Nice Guy, or Mr. Mean Guy?
Apparently, a number of things went into Robinson's decision. One is that the Mets set it all up. Dennis Cook being ejected Friday night for hitting Everett with a pitch after being warned, but complaining (and having a point) that Everett was out of the batters box. The next day, in his first at-bat, Everett gets ejected for standing out of the box, yet no umpire brought it up in any previous game the Sox played. I see a coincidence. Shame those Mets. Shame, shame, shame.
The second thing is Kulpa, the umpire. In my opinion, Everett shouldn't have been ejected in the first place. If he had actually gotten a hit, I can see his point. But it was a 2-2 count, and Everett hadn't even made contact yet. As one poster claimed on either this board or the ESPN board, it's like calling someone offsides before they actually go offsides. That's the first thing wrong with Kulpa. The second thing is his reaction. He clearly instigated the confrontation. As I said, Everett nudged him twice. A nudge and Kulpa goes flying 10 feet. If you nudge a 5-year old, he/she won't move. Maybe the Mets bribed him. Just a crazy idea.The third and final factor was Everett's quotes himself. "I could say some things that could ruffle some feathers, but I'd rather keep that to myself until I state my case." That's just one. The one mentioned earlier is the one that sticks out the most. Everett actually did talk to Robinson before the ruling was made, and his comments there will most likely not be released to the public. What was said there was the biggest factor into his decision.
So, Franky finally made one right this time. Very rare occasion. Although these facotrs did fit into the decision, the question still remains. What exactly is going on in Frank Robinson's head?