Results tagged “Brooks Robinson” from York Town Square

A photo of Eddie Plank holding a baseball on the wall of Gettysburg Eddies, an eatery in Adams County, Pa., tied to native son and baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Plank. Also of interest: Remembering York/Adams major leaguers and Vancouver, B.C., has beauty, but York, Pa., has a life-sized Brooks Robinson statue and York County sports a miniature Cooperstown.

Fellow blogger Pat Abdalla has profiled baseball players from York and Adams counties who performed in the Major League post-season.

The most prominent is Vic Wertz and his long fly ball out hauled in by Willie Mays.

In his Southpaw blog, Pat also explores the post-season work of: ... .

The fields around York, Pa.'s, Veterans Memorial Park were used for farming in this mid-20th-century photograph. (Below, see photo of that area today.) Also of interest: Brooks Robinson - and stories about his York, Pa., pro debut - enduring and Great Balls of Fire, York's Memorial Park to spin back to 50s and Opportunities in York County to feed your sense of discovery.

In its earliest days, the York White Roses played at Memorial Stadium in Spring Garden Memorial Park. That's where Brooks Robinson made his professional debut.

Today, the sports complex is known as Bob Hoffman Stadium at Veterans Memorial Park.

But whatever its name, the local chamber of commerce accepted credit, in the booklet "The Record of the York Chamber of Commerce in the First Half of the Twentieth Century," with helping to keep organized baseball in York... .

Baseball great Brooks Robinson is seen in his York (Pa.) White Roses uniform in 1955. His statue can be seen everyday in Brooks Robinson Plaza at York's Sovereign Bank Stadium. Background posts: Brooks Robinson - and stories about his York, Pa., pro debut - enduring and York Town Square reader: 'I thought Vic Wertz had some connection to York?' and Baseball's Methuselah played for White Roses.

True or false?

Brooks Robinson broke into professional baseball in York and went to the majors and greatness after a short gig here, never to return to minor league baseball?

The answer is .... .

Brooks Robinson's statue is the key part of his namesake plaza at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The Hall-of-Fame third-basemen, who started his career at second base for the York White Roses, has fought back from a bout with cancer. Background posts: York has Brooks Robinson statue. Where's Baltimore's? and Revs will easily pass 1969's full-season attendance stats and Batter up, pass the hot dog: York relishes the Revolution.

Brooks Robinson's revelation this week that he had been diagnosed - and now cleared - of prostate cancer brings to mind two stories about when Brooksie played with the York White Roses.

Brooks, of course, started his professional career in York in 1955.

And the story has often been told about how public address announcer George Trout introduced him as "Bob" Robinson.

Although Trout soon was informed of his mistake, the two local newspapers kept up the "Bob" Robinson routine for a good two weeks... .

John G. Coulson's "Hanover Raiders, Minor League Baseball in Hanover, Pennsylvania" tells about the life and times and players in the Blue Ridge League. His work nicely adds to the repository of the names of major league players who hailed from or played in York and Adams counties. Background posts: Before the York Revs came the Hanover Raiders and Big league baseball fans from everywhere remember Gene Crumling and York County sports a miniature Cooperstown.

At the moment of the Atlantic League York Revolution's home opener for season No. 3, it's a good time to review former major leaguers with York roots as well as those who were here for a cup of coffee.

Atlanta Braves superscout Paul Snyder is from York County. So is Greg Gross. And Jim Spencer. And Gene Cumling. And Ken Raffensberger.

Robert Rohrbaugh might be the region's next major leaguer.

York Town Square just profiled Eddie Plank, the great southpaw 300-game winner.

Just when you think you exhausted the pool of York/Adams countians with Major League Baseball ties (click here for another long and impressive list) who were born here or lived here, you run across another batch... .

Bill Kirk, left, a former York White Roses coach, looks on as Curly Holtzapple, center, greets Brooks Robinson before the York Revolution's first home game at Sovereign Bank Stadim in June 2007. Filmmaker Brian Plow tells the story of how the stadium came into being in "Home." Background posts: Will Sovereign Bank of York stadium name fame lose its crown?, Map explains York, Pa.'s $50 million redevelopment area and Phillies in York via 30-ft. TV: 'Isn't going to the ballpark the best part about a baseball game?' .

The title of Brian Plow's documentary film "Home: The American Dream, the American Pastime and Urban Renewal in York, Pennsylvania" is long but its exploration of the return of baseball to York is far from ponderous, moving quickly.

But if viewers want an even quicker version of this full-length documentary, the filmmaker prepared a condensed version for the York Daily Record/Sunday News Web site, www.inyork.com/ydr:

A York Daily Record/Sunday News story about the film (9/13/08) follows:

Dallastown artist Lorann Jacobs' newest sculpture in York shows Brooks Robinson signing autographs on the plaza outside York, Pa.'s, Sovereign Bank Stadium. York is ahead of Baltimore in honoring Brooks. Background posts: Sculptor molds York, Pa.'s past for posterity, Old York, Pa., lefty remembers young Brooks Robinson, and York County sports museum a miniature Cooperstown.

About 8,000 fans have walked across Brooks Robinson Plaza and passed the statue of the O's legend on their way to the two York Revs games this season.

The statue, sculpted by the prolific Lorann Jacobs, reminds fans that Brooks started his professional career in York.

But no such reminder stands in Baltimore, where Brooks spent his entire major league career... .

Those in the military in World War II had a penchant for meeting fellow York countians. Here, Ed Tuleya is seen with York's Earl Roser, right, at the Gloucester Cathedral in Glocester, England. Ed Tuleya survived Omaha Beach, lost his baseball career, met his Czech wife (see photo below) and the rest is a love story. Background posts: Nazis murdered downed airman from York, Part V, Old York lefty remembered young Brooks Robinson and Baseball's Methuselah played for White Roses.

York Daily Record/York Sunday News' writer Jim Seip penned an exceptional story about a heroic World War II soldier.

But it's not really a war story... .

George Trout has many signed baseballs from the York White Roses, prime occupants of stadium in Veterans Memorial Park in the 1950s and 1960. Trout was the public address announcer for the White Roses in 1955. When he couldn't confirm the Roses' newest player - a 'B. Robinson' - Trout announced 'Bob Robinson' as a substitution. Memorial Stadium will always be associated with Brooks Robinson's professional debut.

York city is planning a "Great Balls of Fire Car & Truck Cruise In" at Veterans Memorial Park later this month.

The event will take a step back into the '50s, when the city assumed ownership of the park.

When was the park built? ...

A Life magazine artist captured the York White Roses in this 1941 painting. This scene is probably at York's Martin-Parry field. After World War II, the York White Roses played its games at Memorial Stadium, constructed to honor those who died and served in the war. It was at Memorial Stadium that Brooks Robinson made his major league debut on June 3, 1955.

I took a swing in a York Sunday News column about the night that Brooks Robinson broke into professional baseball. That was the night that P.A. announcer George Trout got his name wrong and the newspapers had him as second baseman "Bob" Robinson for the next two weeks.

But I particularly like the anecdote from shortstop Curly Holtzapple, the other half of the double play duo with Brooks, that I included with my column:

York County's Hinkey Haines and Babe Ruth teamed up in 1923.

Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Brooks Robinson and former lefty Ken Raffensberger appeared in a York Daily Record roundup of athletes who touched York County in some way.

The 2006 story provides an impressive list of links between the world of sports and the county of York:

Lorann Jacobs works on a clay model, part of the Brooks Robinson statue she is sculpting for the plaza named after the former York White Roses and Baltimore O's star outside Sovereign Bank Stadium in York.

Sculptor Lorann Jacobs had to check some facts before her work on the Brooks Robinson statue, to be unveiled this summer at York's new baseball stadium.

She tried to verify Robinson's number when he played for the York White Roses in 1955.

Even Brooks couldn't remember his number. (An old photograph with No. 36 written on it suggests that might have been his number.)

She went with the famous No. 5 he wore as an Oriole, and the number he donned in both the White Roses' and Revs' jerseys that he wore in festivities before the Revs home opener Friday night... .