Who was the best orioles superstar ever?

[steveox]

I think Brooks Robinson was the best ever!

[Iron Jaw]

From the list, overall, I'd say Frank Robinson. Of course, he only spent six years with the Orioles, but counting his overall career, mostly with the Reds, he was the best of the three. Counting just the time with the Orioles, Brooks and Cal would give him a run (though that fabulous triple crown season looms heavy). Guys like Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray could easily be thrown into the mix too.

[steveox]

I think the reason cal got the votes here is because they never saw brooks or frank play in person.

[Mr. Met]

Frank was the most dynamic player they ever had.

[El Nino Linares]

The most dynamic player that the orioles ever had was Cal Ripken Jr.... And no one will ever come close.....

[steveox]

The most dynamic player that the orioles ever had was Cal Ripken Jr.... And no one will ever come close.....
Did you ever actuly watch brooks or frank play in person?

[Brian McKenna]

i think brooks because he is my favorite player.And Cal was good but i think brooks is better.but i think brooks is tied with frank but brooks is my favorite player so i choose him.


little brian- age 10:clapping :crazy

and i watched brooks frank and cal play

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

best ever: Cal

[KCGHOST]

If this is a popularity contest then it is Brooks or Cal. The best career as an Oriole is most likely Eddie Murray or Jim Palmer. I assume of course you are ignoring their SLB origins.

Since this seems to be an unobjective poll, I have seen all the players named play going back to the day the Orioles began play in Baltimore.

[Kripler1]

You guys should watch Brooks and frank play then you would have voted for one of them

[runningshoes]

You guys should watch Brooks and frank play then you would have voted for one of them

HAHAHA

I hope my son loves the Red Sox as much as you love the Orioles, Brian. :waving

My favorite player is Cal, Orioles or any other team.

[Brian McKenna]

cal was great but he was saddled with a team that on average won 10-15 games fewer per season that brooks' clubs

[steveox]

You guys should watch Brooks and frank play then you would have voted for one of them
I saw em both play.I will always be greatful i had an oppitunity to see em both play at memorial stadium in person.

[The Commissioner]

I saw em both play.I will always be greatful i had an oppitunity to see em both play at memorial stadium in person.

I am immensely envious.

[J W]

I'm jealous too. I wish I could've seen the glory days of Robinson-Robinson-Powell!

Frank Robinson usually gets my vote for best career Oriole, despite playing more seasons in Cincy. Whether the team was headed for good times or not, Frank is given credit for crystallizing the organization for two decades, including those great years after he left.

However, if you ask for the greatest superstar in O's history, it'd be between Cal and Brooks. After witnessing the events surrounding Cal's retirement, I must put Mr. Ripken at the head of the class. He was Mr. Baltimore for a long, long time and something tells me the organization did not bend over backwards for Brooks as much as they did for Cal.

[west coast orange and black]

frank robby gets my vote. i'll always remember how much he was feared at the plate.

[steveox]

Cause frank knew what pitch was comming if pitcher gets behind him in a count.But even you do get ahead of him in the count he just has the feeling what pitches the pitcher might throw in that situation and hell get a piece of it and then the next pitch he makes contact and its gone.The best thing a pitcher can do when he faces frank robinson is hold your breath and hope for the best.But most of the time its bad news after that pitch.

[Shotgun Shuba]

How soon we forget Eddie Murray, by far the greatest O.

Photo from baseballhalloffame.org

[buckeyeangler]

Murray wasn't even the best first-sacker Oriole!Statistically it was Jim Gentile.

[ElHalo]

I have to say the best player the franchise ever had was, without question, George Sisler.

[Jermz]

<<The best career as an Oriole is most likely Eddie Murray>>

That is a ridiculous statement. I agree that an argument could be made for Palmer, Brooks or Cal here, but Eddie spent too much time on the Mets, Dodgers & Indians to have the "Best Oriole Career".

Eddie was the reason I started loving the O's, and I learned about Cal soon after that. Cal is my favorite Oriole and overall ballplayer ever...so I voted for him. I can also appreciate people who vote for others because seeing older players on tape isn't the same as living it. Those fans LIVED through Frank, Brooks etc. and it's hard to recapture that feeling for people who didn't live through it.

I can explain to my son how great Cal was and what he meant to the game til I am blue in the face, but he will never get the full appreciation of having lived it.

That is why I can appreciate people from the Brooks era voting for them, and the people from the Cal era voting for him.

I don't think Frank/Eddie could be the best Orioles ever because they only played about half the years that Cal/Brooks did with the team.

Greatest Orioles ever in order...

1. Cal Ripken Jr.
2. Brooks Robinson
3. Eddie Murray
4. Frank Robinson
5. Jim Palmer

[pellieman]

Defensive
Brooks Robinson
Mark Belanger
Paul Blair
Cal Ripken
Robby Alomar
Eddie Murray

Offensive
Frank Robinson
Jim Gentile
Eddie Murray
Robby Alomar

Then you have the players that brought some great intangibles to the game..
Cal Ripken
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson
Dave Johnson
Rick Dempsey

Our best pitcher by far was Palmer no question! He had it all. You could put him up as best Oriole. He won a few golden gloves as well as a few CY Youngs. My favorit Os was Brooks. I believe most people who grew up with those Os feel this due to the passion we saw from him and the way he embraced the city.

[Jermz]

And then there would be a list of the WORST Orioles of all time. And just during the years that I have been following them closely (18 years)...it would be...in order...

4. Glenn Davis
3. Sidney Ponson
2. Roberto Alomar
1. Albert Belle

[KCGHOST]

I don't think Frank/Eddie could be the best Orioles ever because they only played about half the years that Cal/Brooks did with the team.

My bad. I didn't realize that attendance was as important as quality. I'll move Mark Belanger up to the 3rd postion behind Brooks and Cal in position players poll.

[Jermz]

My bad. I didn't realize that attendance was as important as quality. I'll move Mark Belanger up to the 3rd postion behind Brooks and Cal in position players poll.

The thing we are going for her is "Best ORIOLE Superstar Ever"...not best "Baseball Player Who Ever Wore An Oriole Jersey For One Game". With the way you are rating them, maybe you should also move Reggie Jackson up to #1 as the best Oriole ever since he played there...or what about the great Albert Belle???

Cal is the best Oriole ever for what he meant to THE ORIOLES...which is what I base it on. Not Roberto Alomar or Sammy Sosa.

[Francoeurstein]

I think Hoyt Wilheilm deserves A spot on that. Sorry for spelling errors on his name.

[Kripler1]

Come On Vote For Brooks He Is The Best Choice In Witch I Can See!!!!

[Dennie Cunningham]

I think Brooks Robinson was the best ever!
I think the human vacium clearer, better know as Brooks Robinson was the over all best, but Frank Robinson and Cal Ripken are a very close 2nd and 3rd.

[Sleepless]

I saw Jim and Cal play at Memorial Stadium. I spoke with Jim over the phone once during a telethon. I remember Jim in his underwear adds on TV and then telling Cal to drink his milk when he was about to strike out at Camden Yards. I'll always be a die hard Cal Ripken Jr. fan but Jim does bring back the old happiness of watching/hearing the game when I was a kid.

[west coast orange and black]

pellieman: Robinson, Belanger, Blair, Ripken, Alomar, Murray

i love each and evry one of these guys, man.
especially paul l.d. blair

[rshackelford]

My thoughts:

Frank was the best baseball player. He also is responsible for pushing the team over the edge from competitive to dominant. Downside: we had him for a lesser time, but that time included his prime.

Palmer was by far the best pitcher. Probably the best student of pitching. He also may have been the "most perfect" when he was "on". The moments I liked best were when there were 2 outs and men on base, and he'd not only throw the perfect pitch but would also start walking to the dugout BEFORE anybody else knew if the hitter would hit it or how the ump would call it. Downside: if he wasn't quite such a head case, he woulda/shoulda won 300+.

Brooks was the best local hero, nicest guy, etc., and my personal favorite. After each game, he'd go get in his car, open the window, and sign autographs until everybody had one. There was a decade or more when most boys in Balt copied his little knee-cock before swinging. He was the most-loved. Downside: he wasn't a great hitter. (He once said that his most amazing stat is that he he hit into THREE triple plays, which is not easy to do.)

Cal is the most important in terms of giving fans something to focus on when everything else sucked. Also, he was invaluable to baseball-as-a-whole after the strike. Downside: didn't seem to "hate losing" enough, and he undermined our last winning manager because he asked him to *think* about playing 3rd for the good of the team.

Eddie deserves more rep than he's got. Except for the public relations aspect, much of Cal's good rep should apply to Eddie too... which is basically what Cal said when he thanked three people: his Mom, his Dad, and Eddie.

[FrenchyLefebvre]

Just an "outsider's" point of view here: Ripken would have to get my vote.
But just not as best Oriole superstar -- try top ten EVER in Baseball.

Thing with Ripken is that he wasn't flashy -- just went out & did it every single day. Good, dedicated, and durable enough to be even in that lineup all that time to accumulate over 400 homers and -- how many hits?? Over 3,000? And 100 more RBI than Mike Schmidt (my hero, so believe me, I appreciate Brooksie Big-Time)!
And we're talking about a shortstop here?! And an exceptional one at that position, at that!
If Ripken isn't the most underrated (not by O's fans, but in general)-- rather, underSTATED player ever, I don't know who is.

Just went out & kept doing it -- and doing it darned good.
I won't even get into what he did for Baseball as a whole ... e$pecially in an era with player$ going on DLs for the most $issy "injurie$". The guy played with broken noses, sprained ankles, whatever.
Some things just don't appear in WebGems, stats and box scores.

Oriles fans have truly been blessed with some real winners. Cal -- he's just "up there".

Okay, let's look at it this way: Many consider Barry Bonds (if not the) one of the greatest EVER all around ballplayers (as I do). Period. Say the steroid story never even broke, and he'd just continued merrily along with his career. How do you think he would be recieved around the +nation's ballparks in his farewell tour -- compared to Cal?

There are Superstars. Then there are Super Stars.

Perhaps if I knew just one person who witnessed 9/5-6/95 with both eyes dry, I'd feel just a tad differently :>) That was powerful. (I did know diehard Phillies fans who, while deliriously ecstatic, weren't drawn to tears even on Oct 26th, 1980).

Just one fan's opinon :>)

[mlazar]

just an outsiders view : how could you not have Jim Palmer on this list ?.... 8 seasons with over 20 wins.. 268 wins with a lifetime 2.86 era... 7-5 postseason with 1.96 era in cls...

Brooks: great fielder-avg. hitter
Frank: not enough years as an Oriole
Cal : would be my selection for Greatest everday Oriole ever...

[Tigerfan1974]

I vote for the Human Vacuum Cleaner!

[Brownie31]

I have to say the best player the franchise ever had was, without question, George Sisler.
Amen! Sisler also holds the distinction of being the first baseball player to be on the cover of Time Magazine in the March 30, 1925 issue. Brownie31

[Gooch]

How about Andy Etchebarren?
Just kidding! Brooks is the all-time greatest Oriole!!!!!
Cal and Frank and Eddie and Jim was great, too, but for an entire body of work and what he means to the franchise, it's Brooks.