Brooks Robinson Field Now Open In West Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation continues to give back in Maryland as another Oriole legend is honored Tuesday.
Brooks Robinson Field is now open in West Baltimore to give youth a place to play.
It's the 13th field the foundation has created in Maryland and the 88th overall.
For Robinson, it brings back memories of more than 70 years ago, and for the player who had over 2,800 hits in his career, none were more impactful than Tuesday's hit in west Baltimore.
The unveiling represented what the 18-time All-Star has always preached: teamwork.
"In our household growing up, Brooksy was pointed out not only as a great baseball player but as a great person and he was a model you wanted to follow," said Orioles Hall-Of-Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. "I think a lot of parents in this area pointed out Brooksy and said, 'Grow up and be like him.'"
"If you could touch it, feel it, hold it, fix it, then you could do something with it. That's what we've done here. It takes a village," said Billy Ripken, former MLB player.
For Robinson, this field is a reminder of what his late father taught him as a boy.
"He really showed me what baseball was all about: how to act, how to play and give it your best all the time, and I know I think about him all the time and that's really what I'm thinking about when I see this field here," Robinson said.
A field of dreams that took three years to build, but worth every second to change lives for young players at Frederick Douglass High School.
"Just this opportunity of being here at Frederick Douglass and having this opportunity is amazing. It's like wow because if I go to any other school, I probably never would've gotten the opportunity like the one I got now," Robinson said.
And now, Robinson's name will live on.
"I remember Gus Triandos one time when he played here. He got a road and he asked me, 'How many roads do you have named after you?' and I said, 'None, Gus,' now I got two. Thank you!" Robinson added.
The Ripken Foundation isn't done building fields. They've committed $5 million to keep giving back to cities across the nation.
