Robby

And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
'Cause no one can take away your right
To fight
And never surrender
--Corey Hart

By the time I was old enough to recognize and remember baseball players, Frank Robinson had already been traded from the Reds to the Orioles in what was perhaps the worst trade in MLB history. But he was still my favorite.

He played hard. He hit the ball hard. In fact, my Dad used to say that he always knew when Robinson was hitting during batting practice by the sound--the ball sounded different coming off his bat.

One of my favorite Frank Robinson stories wrote itself during 1961 season. The Reds were in LA in the midst of a neck-and-neck late summer pennant race vs the Dodgers. Don Drysdale was on the mound for the Dodgers and twirling a gem shutout in a 0-0 game. Robinson came to the plate late in the game and Drysdale flipped him--as Drysdale was prone to do. Robby got up, dusted himself off, and deposited the next pitch far over the LF fence for what became the game winning HR.

The Reds never looked back after winning that game and took the NL flag.

Frank Robinson died yesterday at the age of 83.