Legendary Orioles Third Baseman Honored With Statue
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- He was known as the best third baseman to ever play the game.
Brooks Robinson elevated the Orioles during his time in uniform.
As Mike Schuh reports, his friends and fans are elevating him on a permanent perch across from the ballpark.
Just look at who we immortalize here in this town. At the stadium, Johnny Unitas. At the harbor, William Donald Schaefer. At the Yard, Babe Ruth and along Charles, Pope John Paul. Now the fifth statue goes to MVP, Golden Glove, multiple All-Star Brooks Robinson.
"Brooks will be on top of the base, nine feet tall, crouched, fielding a ground ball, throwing in the direction of the stadium," said Mike Gibbons, Sports Legends Museum.
A 1,500 pound likeness of the man nicknamed the "Hoover" for his ability to scoop up ground balls. The likeness is made by the Baltimore artist who created the Pope statue downtown. Brooks will stand not at Oriole Park, but across the street on city land, a major gateway to Baltimore.
"Washington Boulevard and Russell split here and a lot of people come this way and Brooks will greet the people as they come to Baltimore and it establishes his status as an iconic Baltimore citizen," Gibbons said.
Right now, the base is poured and the granite is being installed. If you take a picture of bar codes to be installed here, your phone will give you more info about Brooks.
"Because here's the deal. A hundred years from now when people don't know as much as we do about him, they'll be able to get that information," Gibbons said.
The statue has already been cast. It will arrive from Italy in September and be unveiled in October.
Most of the $400,000 cost to put up the statue is coming from the heir to Crown Petroleum, Henry Rosenberg, Jr.
