But when you're considered possibly the greatest third baseman in history, you're always defined by your own baseball career.
The numbers are still dazzling after all these years. Twenty-three seasons with the Orioles until his retirement in 1977. Fifteen consecutive All-Star Game appearances, 18 all told. Sixteen consecutive Gold Gloves, earning him the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner."
American League Most Valuable Player in 1964 after hitting .317 with 28 homers and 118 RBIs. World Series MVP in 1970 after almost single-handedly helping the Orioles beat the Cincinnati Reds. All-Star Game MVP in 1966.
Then came the magical summer of 1983, when they waved him into the Hall of Fame and it seemed all of Baltimore showed up in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the induction.
I was there in the middle of it all, covering it for the old Evening Sun, a sea of orange and black T-shirts and jerseys on the lawn as far as the eye could see.
By some estimates, nearly 100,000 Orioles fans descended on the tiny village in upstate New York that day.
Baltimore loved Brooks Robinson almost from the moment he first pulled on an Orioles uniform, loved him until the day he peeled off the No. 5 jersey for the last time, loved him throughout his years as a color commentator on Orioles broadcasts with Chuck Thompson and Scott Garceau.
And Brooks Robinson loved this city right back.
He was a Baltimore icon, like the great John Unitas.
And he was as comfortable with that as he was in his own skin.
Maybe that's why when you ask Robinson what accomplishment over his long career he values most, he doesn't hesitate.
"It's not winning an MVP award or a World Series," he told me. "It's playing longer with one team than any other player in the history of the game."
Let me end this with my favorite Brooks Robinson quote of all time.
I bring it up mostly because it says so much about the man, about his humility and decency, about how he never took himself too seriously.
"I watch baseball today," he once said, "and a third baseman makes a great play, they say, 'That's a Brooks Robinson play!' And I ask myself: 'Did I ever do that?' "
He sure did.
As the saying goes, you could look it up.
Listen to Kevin Cowherd Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with Jerry Coleman on Fox 1370 AM Sports.
If you go
What: "An Evening with Brooks"
When: Tonight, 6 to 9:30; VIP and cocktail begins at 6 p.m.; program begins at 7:30
Where: Meyerhoff Symphony Hall: 1212 Cathedral St.
Tickets: $105 for the cocktail reception and program; $55 for program only; available at the door
More information: 410-727-1539, ext. 3033, or baberuthmuseum.com
