Brooks Robinson’s debut: ‘Just try Bob, almost everybody’s named Bob’
Brooks Robinson poses in a White Roses uniform in 1955. He graduated from high school in Arkansas and immediately joined the York team, where he started his professional career.
George Trout was at the mic before the York Revs’ first game at the new stadium.
Brooks Robinson was on the field as part of a tribute to former York White Rose players.
Trout recounted the story of how he introduced Brooks, then in his first professional season in 1955, as “Bob.”
The shorthand version of the story is that young public address announcer Trout needed a first name to go with the B. Robinson he was introducing.
The official scorer said it must be “Bob,” and Trout went with it.
Here’s Jim Seip’s longer version, from a 2005 interview with Trout :…
George Trout was running out of time. He had late-game substitutions to announce, the inning was about to start, and nobody seemed to know the new guy — some “B. Robinson” from Little Rock, Ark.
Trout needed a first name, and this was turning into a disaster.
Someone tried to calm Trout, telling him, “Just try Bob, almost everybody’s named Bob.”
With seemingly everyone waiting for him, Trout finally made the famous announcement: Now playing for the York White Roses, Bob Robinson.
“Well, of course, then the batboy came running,” Trout said. “I could hear him banging the whole way up the press box steps.”
The batboy gave notice, the rookie wasn’t a Bill and he certainly wasn’t a Bob. That was Brooks Robinson.
Embarrassed by his mistake, Trout introduced himself to Robinson after the game. The 24-year-old announcer apologized.
Robinson had no idea what Trout was talking about. He didn’t hear any announcements.
Trout remembers having to tell Robinson twice, “I called you Bob.”
It was a nervous moment for the Roses’ public address announcer on that summer day in 1955. Robinson could have bawled out Trout. That’s what Trout expected.
But the new kid thought it was funny.
“He howled,” Trout said.
And the two soon became friends.
“With Brooks, what you see is what you get,” said Trout, a former York County commissioner and longtime sports personality. “He is a man who is completely unimpressed with himself. He just sees himself as a guy from Arkansas who got lucky.” ……….
