Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Robin Roberts

In 2004, I was a clubhouse assistant for the Clearwater Threshers, a Minor League affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. Mike Schmidt was our manager and Dan Roberts, son of Hall of Fame pitcher, Robin Roberts was our pitching coach. Early in the season I had asked Dan if his Dad ever comes by. He said that he does on occasion. I kept this Phillies jersey in my locker, on the off chance that I might see him. One day during the season, all of the players and coaching staff had cleared the locker room for the start of the game. I was alone in the Threshers clubhouse when I spotted an older gentleman walking into the coaches room. I recognized him right away, but wanted to pretend I was concerned so that I had a reason to approach him. "Excuse me, can I help you?" I asked. He responded, "I'm just grabbing something from the coaches room." I replied, "You look familiar..." He extended his hand to shake mine and said, "I'm Robin Roberts." My locker was located right next to the coaches room. I told him, "I have a Phillies jersey in my locker, would you mind signing it for me?" He was very kind and agreed. He even added, 'HOF 76' signifying the year of his Hall of Fame induction. Robin passed away on May 6, 2010.

No comments:

Post a Comment