DALLAS — Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson looked like his old self when he showed up for the announcement on Monday that fellow third baseman Ron Santo had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
That should come as a big relief to Orioles fans, who have been fretting about his ill health over the past couple of years. But Brooks wasn't at the Hilton Anatole Hotel to talk about himself. He came to honor a man who had been passed over by the Hall of Fame voters of the Baseball Writers Association of America and the former incarnation of the Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee. He made no secret of his disappointment that Santo did not live long enough to see this day.
"Absolutely, I kept thinking he would get in again and again," Robinson said, "and now he won't be able to be there."
Maybe that's why we're all so glad that we got to see Brooks on the big stage at Cooperstown and recently got to see him honored with a beautiful statue on the Washington Boulevard Plaza outside Oriole Park. The great ones from his era will not be with us forever, but we should all be thankful that Robinson is on the mend and planning to stick around for awhile.
He isn't quite done with the doctors. They still have a little more work to do to repair the bile duct that put his life in danger, and he also is facing a hernia operation, but it was clear from his upbeat demeanor — and the fact that he traveled to Texas to take part in the deliberations of the Hall's Golden Era Committee — that his health has taken a big leap in the right direction.
"It looks like the baby's due," he said, pointing to his slightly protruding stomach, "But after the middle of January, I'll be all finished. No problem."
So, there's a rare piece of news that should put a smile on the face of every Orioles fan. Brooks looked drawn and weak at the unveiling of his statue in late October, but he had just undergone another medical procedure and he was exhausted from months of fighting a serious systemic infection.
He wouldn't have missed that celebration for the world, but you got the feeling on Monday that he felt it was just as important to come to Dallas to vote for and honor another legend of the Hot Corner.
"He was just a terrific guy — baseball through and through," Robinson said. "He did a lot for baseball through his career. He was just a terrific player. If you compare him to the other players in the Hall of Fame, he deserves to be in. I've been pulling for him for a long time."
No doubt, Brooks' recent health issues made him identify even more with one of his National League contemporaries, since Santo lost both his legs to diabetes and passed away a year ago this week of complications associated with bladder cancer.
"He had a long, hard struggle," Robinson said. "I'm just sad he wasn't here to enjoy this."
The conversation didn't stop there. Brooks also weighed in on the changes taking place in the Orioles organization — most notably the arrival of new executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette and several new lieutenants.
"I think we need some new blood down there," he said. "It's a new group with new ideas. This has gone on long enough."
Though he has been inexplicably estranged from the franchise for many years, there is no question that Brooks still watches the team closely and roots hard for the Orioles to turn around after a string of 14 straight losing seasons.
"They've got some good players," he said. "I think the pitchers, they got some lessons this year. I don't think they were used to the adversity when they got here, and some of them weren't able to handle it. They had arm problems, a couple of them, but I think they should be a lot better next year. We need them."
Not as much as we need Brooks, who has his statue and is regaining his good health. What could be better than that?
Listen to Peter Schmuck when he hosts "The Week in Review" Fridays at noon on WBAL (1090AM) and wbal.com.