The oldest living former major league baseball player celebrated a big accomplishment in December when he turned 100 years old.
The Texas resident is using his experience with the game to share his favorite stories through a new podcast bringing to life the golden age of baseball.
Spending an afternoon in Eddie Robinson's study in his longtime Fort Worth home is like spending a day in a baseball museum.
"I like to think that I played in a golden era of baseball. DiMaggio and Mantle and Vera, and Ted Williams and I knew all those guys intimately well. In fact, they were friends of mine. I had a great experience and look back on those days with a lot of interest," Robinson said.
The 100 year old is the oldest living former major league baseball player and has stories for days, including during his playing days in the 1940's when he assisted Babe Ruth in 1949, as the great Bambino's health was failing as he was honored in front of Yankees fans for the final time.
"They were going to retire a number. That was his last appearance at Yankee Stadium. It came time for him to go up to home plate for the presentation, the ceremony. And I could tell that he was a little wobbly, and I just felt that he needed some support. And the batting... bat rack was here. All the bats were there, and I just reached in the bat rack and pulled out a bat and handed it to him and he took it and he took that bat and used it as a cane and went up to home plate had the bat. They had the ceremony I took a picture of him standing at home plate looking out toward centerfield. They took the picture from behind. And he's holding that bat. That was a Pulitzer prize-winning picture that year," Robinson said.
it was an assist on one of the greatest baseball moments ever.
Robinson played on seven of the then eight teams in the American league before an eventual career in baseball front offices that included a five-year stint as the Texas rangers general manager in the 70s and 80's.
He's not shy about who he believes is the best player he ever saw in person.
"If I had to choose one guy I'd choose Ted Williams. He would be my guy because I think he's the best hitter ever lived," Robinson said.
And it's baseball stories and opinions like those that's led Robinson to now begin his own baseball podcast. Yes at 100 years old, it's called the Golden Age of Baseball with Eddie Robinson, in which he shared stories of his more than 65 years as a baseball player, scout, coach, and front office executive.
"I didn't even know what a podcast was. I never heard one sounded like something we could do," Robinson said.
It was something he could easily do with charming baseball stories that never seem to end.
"Those pictures bring back memories. And you know, there's so many stories to tell when you've been in the game as long as I have," Robinson said.
