Top Third Basemen Of The 1970’s

Brooks Robinson - To me, Robinson will always be the greatest third baseman to ever play the game. Sadly, by the 1970s Robinson was a shell of his former self as Father Time and injuries caught up to him. He was always a beloved person in Baltimore as he contributed to many charitable causes in the area both during his playing days and during his retirement. His death about 6 months ago was a very sad day for the area.

Mike Schmidt - Schmidt would have been my number 1 pick if Robinson had not been on the list. Always seemed like a class act and was a fixture on "This Week in Baseball" nearly every week.

George Brett - I liked the work ethic that he presented in interviews. Also gained respect for him when I read the complimentary things Bo Jackson said about him in his book "Bo Knows". Will always be remembered for the "Pine Tar Incident". Nowadays, is pine tar even monitored? Years ago, I remember many players would have pine tar slathered all over their batting helmets so they could glop more onto their bats during an at bat.

Despite playing for the Orioles, Doug DeCinces did not make my list:

1) He had the uneviable task of trying to fill the shoes of Brooks Robinson. This often caused DeCinces to be held to a very high standard by fans and players alike. DeCinces actually had a feud with Jim Palmer when Palmer criticized DeCinces' fielding in the media. From Wikipedia...

"In 1981, DeCinces got into a feud with teammate Jim Palmer after DeCinces missed a line drive hit by Alan Trammell in a game against the Tigers. According to DeCinces, Palmer "was cussing me out and throwing his hands in the air" after the play. "Those balls have to be caught," Palmer told a paper. "Doug is reluctant to get in front of a ball." "I'd like to know where Jim Palmer gets off criticizing others," DeCinces responded. "Ask anybody–they're all sick of it. We're a twenty-four man team–and one prima donna. He thinks it's always someone else's fault." The feud simmered until June, when manager Earl Weaver said, "I see no cause for concern. The third baseman wants the pitcher to do a little better and the pitcher wants the third baseman to do a little better. I hope we can all do better and kiss and make up...The judge gave me custody of both of them." Palmer ultimately blamed Robinson for the dispute: "If Brooks hadn't been the best third-baseman of all time, the rest of the Orioles wouldn't have taken it for granted that any ball hit anywhere within the same county as Brooks would be judged perfectly, fielded perfectly, and thrown perfectly, nailing (perfectly) what seemed like every single opposing batter." "

2) DeCinces was part of the trade in 1982 that brought "Disco" Dan Ford to Baltimore. Nothing against Ford but his arrival in Baltimore caused Ken Singleton's (my favorite player) playing time to be significantly reduced.

3) His trade to California in 1982 enabled Cal Ripken Jr to be the new Orioles third baseman. Ripken took over the third spot in the batting order while Singleton (when he wasn't being benched in favor of Ford) was moved down the batting order to somewhere between 5-7. I have always held this against Ripken even though I know it is a petty issue and there is nobody to blame - especially Ripken.

4) I was disappointed when DeCinces was traded to the California Angels in 1982 and they made to ALCS and the Orioles didn't. In my childhood mind, if the Orioles had kept DeCinces instead of playing "that bum" Cal Ripken Jr, they would have made it to the ALCS and won the World Series.

The above is the reason why they don't allow 9 year-olds to be MLB managers.