The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-08-09
ROBINSON, old
DIAMOND HERO,
DIES SUDDENLY
Beloved Uncle WiIbert' One
of Games Most
COIorfuI.
BIZ United Press


ATLANTA, Ga, Aug 9-Wilbert
Robertson, baseball player and man
ager, died here last night. From
coast to coast millions of Americans
who grew up in the lore of the
diamond, mourned the passing OF
one of the games most colorful
and beloved heroes.
Death was caused by a brain
hemorrhage. He was 70 last
June %.
Uncle Wilbert," last veteran of
the legendary Baltimore Orioles,
carried to his death bed the flair
for the dramaticS and the heroic
that endeared him to baseball loving
America.
He slipped in his bathtub, landing
on his head. Taken to the hoSpi-
tai, he sensed from anxious faces
that death was tapping on his
shoulder.
None of that stuff" he said.
I'm too tough to die"
Age had Softened him up, and he
died smiling with Mrs. Robinson
holding his hand.
One of Greatest CatcherS
His active baseball career ended
in 1880, when he stepped out of the
presidency and management of the
Brooklyn Dodgers-after long and
bitter feud with internal factions in
the club.
One of the greatest catchers and
strategists the game has known, he
worked his way up through the
toughest of baseball schools, to be-
come one of three presidents who
have been active players-the other
two being Clark Griffith of the
Washington Senators and the late
Christy MatheWson.
Born in Hudson, Mass, he man
aged an amateur baseball team at
the age of 13. In 1886 he was sold
by the Haverhill (Mass) profess
sional team to the Philadelphia
Athletics of the old American Asso-
citation. From there he went to the
Baltimore orioles, with whom he
was identified until 1911, except for
brief periods.
Called by McGraw
In 1911, John McGraw called him
to the Giants as coach and three
years later he became manager OF
the Brooklyn club. There for
seventeen years the colorful Uncle
Robbie" wove the glamour of a jo-
vial personality and keen sense of
baseball strategy into star players
and pennantS.
Twice his teams won the National
League flag-in 1916 and 1920-and
twice again, in 1924 and 1928, they
were within hairs breadth of win
ming. But in good seasons or bad,
the Robins were the most colorful
club in baseball. Taking new re-
cruits and broken-doWn veterans,
Robbie" created patchwork in
fields and broken-down outfelds
that staggered repeatedly to within
a hands reach of the pennant.
Neither John McGraw nor Con-
ME Mack were regarded as Robin
sons superior at master minding,
but he preferred to let his men
play the game as it came, and de-
veloped, as a result, as strange a
collection of athletes as baseball or
any other game has known.
Wife at Bedside
In 1880, the long feud in the
Brooklyn front Office that had
plagued him on and off the field,
broke over his head for the last
time. Uncle Robbie" retired to
duck hunting at Dover Hall Club,
Brunswick, Ga. He had been presi-
dent of the Dodgers since 1925 and
! manager since 1914.
/ Circumstances of the bath room
accident Wednesday afternoon we're
not clearly revealed. Physicians be-
lieved a brain hemorrhage had
caused the fall, in which he broke
his arm.
His wife, Mary, went to the hos
pital with him, but later returned
home, thinking the broken arm was
his only injury She was hur-
riedly called back, just before he
died. They had no children.