If you grew up loving sports in the '70s and '80s, there’s a good chance you remember "Greatest Sports Legends". This wasn’t just a show; it was a moment. Each episode gave you a front-row seat to the careers of the biggest athletes of all time—without needing to take out a second mortgage for tickets. For Mets fans, the cherry on top was seeing Tom Seaver, the face of the franchise, take on hosting duties, showing off his charisma and, naturally, his knack for pitching questions as masterfully as he pitched baseballs.
One memorable episode aired in 1979, featuring Seaver and baseball icon Frank Robinson. Watching two legends talk shop felt like being a fly on the wall during a Hall of Fame clubhouse meeting.
Jogging, Asphalt, and the Path to Greatness
Seaver, ever the professional, kicked things off with some light-hearted banter:"Nothing like a nice, brisk jog in the morning, is it, to get the blood going?"
Frank Robinson, unfazed, reminded Tom who the real workhorses were:"Outfielders are always in good shape, you know, we run in spring training more than pitchers do."
Seaver, defending pitchers everywhere, shot back:"Now, wait a minute. You don't run more than pitchers, no way."
And there you had it—the perfect warm-up for a deep dive into Robinson’s remarkable career.
Growing up in Oakland, Robinson shared how he didn’t have the luxury of playing on grass and dirt."In Oakland, we played on asphalt, and I still have the scars to prove it," he explained. Sliding on concrete? No problem. The man was practically built from it.
From Rookie Phenomenon to Cincinnati Slugger
The pair delved into Robinson’s rookie year in 1956 with the Cincinnati Reds. Robinson reminisced about his record-setting 38 home runs and winning the National League Rookie of the Year award."It was a tremendous experience for me, Tom. At the beginning of the year, they had picked Aparicio as a favorite to win it."
Seaver pointed out that while Robinson thrived at the plate, the Reds struggled to get over the hump in the late '50s. Robinson agreed:"We needed pitching, really. We were losing games 10 to 9... It was the opposite of what you had when you first came up."
By 1961, the Reds finally put it all together, winning the National League pennant. Robinson, of course, was their offensive juggernaut, hitting .323 with 37 home runs. Facing the Yankees in the World Series, however, was another story."The Yankees were the big guys, the glamour team. They had been there before. They were supposed to win, and they did."
The Trade That Shocked Baseball
In one of the most infamous moves in MLB history, the Reds traded Robinson to the Orioles after the 1965 season. The reasoning? Robinson was deemed “an old 30” and “injury-prone.” Robinson admitted the trade blindsided him:"At 30, I thought, I’d had a good year. But then, I got a call saying I’d been traded for Jack Baldschun, Dick Simpson, and Milt Pappas. And I said, 'Wow. Thanks for 10 years.'"
Talk about bulletin-board material. Robinson responded by putting together one of the greatest seasons in baseball history with the Orioles in 1966, winning the Triple Crown and leading Baltimore to a World Series title.
Seaver Can’t Resist a Mets Plug
Of course, Tom Terrific wasn’t going to let Robinson off the hook when 1969 came up. The Orioles faced—you guessed it—the Miracle Mets in the World Series."You guys got back in the World Series and played a team called the New York Mets," Seaver quipped, with a grin only a champion can wear.
Robinson admitted the Orioles might’ve been overconfident:"Maybe we were a little overconfident... We thought we could beat you guys, and maybe that was it."No one ever beats the Mets’ magic, Frank.
Breaking Barriers: Frank Robinson’s Historic Journey to Becoming MLB’s First Black Manager
Toward the end of his career, Robinson was traded to the Cleveland Indians in September of 1974. As Seaver noted, Robinson had already been preparing for a potential managerial role, spending six years managing in the Winter Leagues in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Robinson admitted, “It was a little bit in the back of my mind when I was traded to Cleveland that it might happen if they needed a manager while I was there.”
Despite his preparation, Robinson was acutely aware of the slim chances of a Black man being given such an opportunity. “There had never been a Black manager,” Robinson said bluntly. “No doubt about it, I knew they were very slim.” In fact, the constant speculation about him potentially managing had become so tiresome that, in 1969, he had said he was no longer interested in pursuing the role. Yet, when the Indians approached him after the 1974 season with a landmark decision, Robinson seized the opportunity, becoming MLB’s first Black manager.
His debut as player-manager for the Indians on Opening Day in 1975 was nothing short of spectacular. In front of 65,000 fans in Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Robinson made history in dramatic fashion. He not only managed the team but also batted second in the lineup, and in his first at-bat, he launched a home run off Yankees pitcher Doc Medich. “It was a great feeling, waiting at home plate, the fans on their feet cheering. It sounded like 60 million people instead of 65,000,” Robinson recalled.
But for Robinson, the most important thing that day wasn’t the home run—it was securing his first victory as a major league manager. “The important thing to me now is to win my first game managing,” he emphasized. And win it he did, marking the start of a new chapter in baseball history.
Robinson’s groundbreaking achievement as the first Black manager in MLB remains a defining moment in the sport’s history. Reflecting on his career and contributions to baseball, Robinson noted, “Being the first Black manager, it’ll go down in history. But I think my contribution to baseball was my career—the way I played it and carried myself on the field. I wanted to be an inspiration and leader, especially for young Black people, to give them something to look forward to and live for.”
Robinson’s legacy, both as a player and as a trailblazer for diversity in baseball, remains a testament to his enduring impact on the game.
The Legacy of Two Legends
The episode wasn’t just a casual conversation between two baseball icons; it was a celebration of their shared love for the game and their indelible contributions to it. Tom Seaver asked thoughtful questions with the precision of a well-placed slider, and Frank Robinson responded with the poise of a veteran who’d seen it all.
In today's sports talk radio and TV landscape, where the long-form interview has all but disappeared, it's refreshing to watch two future Hall of Famers simply talking baseball. This episode of Greatest Sports Legends serves as a reminder of how engaging sports storytelling can be when you let the players share their own stories—especially when one of those storytellers is Tom Seaver.
If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor spend a few minutes and watch the full episode below . It’s a grand slam for baseball nostalgia—and, as Frank Robinson proved, even asphalt scars can lead to greatness.
Comentarios