The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-11
"OLD WAR HORSE" ROBINSON TO GO BACK IN
HARNESS; WILL GO BEHIND BAT FOR ORIOLES
Veteran Catcher to Be Spare
Backstop for the Balti-
more Club.

When the Orioles go back to their
Baltimore ball yard for the next home
series they will have as utility catcher
Wilbert Robinson, the veteran catcher
of the old Orioles Of championship
days. Robinson keeps himself in excel
lent shape, and, according to Manager
Dunn, of the Orioles, he will help out
Hearne and Byers greatly.
Few figures in the baseball limelight
today are as we'll liked in their home
towns as is "Robby.' Writing about
the old Orioles Of bygone days, Joe
Cummings, of the Baltimore News, has
this to say of Robinson:
Since the heyday of baseball in Balti-
more much has been said of the Big
Four'-McGraw, Jennings, Kelley and
Keller. Why it was not the big Five
with Captain Wilbert Robinson name
wen up to the front, cannot be con-
ceiyed. But even though it will ever
remain only the big Four" the name
of Robbie" will always be heard with
affection and admiration by those who
knew his ways, his work and his base
ball greatness.
Robbie is the only one left of the
ANAA0 IN Va A0iaiOAtG P4iy11o win
has not deserted Baltimore in some
measure. He is still one of u.s. and
is still ready to aid in anything that
will be of advantage to baseball in
Baltimore. as was instanced by his
donning a uniform again to catch a
game at Oriole Park this season.
In his forty-fourth year, Robbie is
not a "has-been." He never was q
"has-been' and never will be a has
BEEN" The plain truth is stated when
1t is said that the veteran captain gave
ample evidence this sulnmer of the
strength of his arm, the keenness of
his eye, the cunning of his hands and
the swiftness of his feet. "Has-beens''
do not measure up as Robbie did on
one Saturday this summer when he
stood up through an entire champion
ship game and received the plaudits-
homage, it might we'll be called-of
more than 10, 900 r~ooters.
The old Oriole was born at Hudson,
Mass, and when 10 years of age began
his first professional Engagement with
the Hudson team, then in a small State
league His play commended itself so
highly to the baseball managers that
he was signed by Haverhill, a much
larger organization; the mex season
Arthur Irwin, then captain of the
Philadelphia National League Club,
happened to see him play. and recon-
mended him so highly to the Athletics
that he was signed by them In 1886.
He remained with them until 1890,
when that organization went into the
hands of a receiver-a step that pre-
saged the fall of the old American AS
ISOLATION, in which Baltimore then
was. The late Billy Barnie, then
manager of the Orioles, grabbed the
Athletics star trio-Robinson, McMa-
hon and WEIGH.
For ten years Robbie" played stead
lily in Oriole uniform. In 1900, when
Baltimore was frozen out" of the Ma
tional League, he consented to play in
st. LOU after a great dea of persua-
sion Baltimore had no professional
team at all that year,, and, with Nc
Graw, cost Frank De Haas Robson,
owner of the st. Louis Club, more
money in purchase price and salary
than any other pair of baseball men
in history. With the organization of
the American League robbie" was in
Oriole uniform again. After the disas-
trous ending of that ORGANIZATIONS
regime here Robbie" declined numcr-
Gus tempting offers from other cities,
preferring to remain identified with the
baseball fortunes of his adopted city.
He was manager of the first Eastern
League team Baltimore had-in 1903
and in the middle of the 1904 season
ne concluded to quietly retire, u r
feited with t~wenty-one years Of base
ball playing and fearful that he might
reach the stage where some of the
younger generation of rooters "who
knew not Joseph might chide him
for a "has-been."
When it is said tina Robbie" was
the real "ginger producer" of the old
Oriole team the statement may be
questioned, but 1t is made in good
faith. Looking back over the practise
and the play of those days, who on the
team was continually squirting each
man every moment to his best en-
deavor? Certainly no one more than
Robbie In one of these articles it
was said a day or two ago that the
practise of the Orioles was a revelation
in itself-and Robbie was the presid-
ing genius of the practises. In the
other departments of catching Rob
bie'' was rarely equaled and nexer ex-
celled. Woe to the stealer who believed
that he could beat "Rohbie's" throw
to second base! Woe to the batter who
believed that he still had a chance if
high or low! Woe to the base-runner
on third who in his zeal believed that
he could get by the stout guardian of