Baseball Centenarian Robinson Tells Embarrassing Story Playing Against Albany Senators

Eddie Robinson lived a life of smiles, one that spanned an entire century.

Born in 1920 in Texas, Robinson spent six decades involved in the game he loves, baseball. He played for nine teams between 1942 and 1957, and worked on the bench and in the front office for various clubs until 2004, when he left his job with the Boston Red Sox.

Robinson has a deep connection with the New York Yankees, playing with the club from 1954 through 1956, and working as a scout and consultant under owner George Steinbrenner in the early 1980s. Robinson was the last surviving player from the 1948 World Series champion Cleveland Indians, and as of 2019, became the oldest surviving former baseball player.

Imagine the stories that someone like Eddie Robinson has. He breaks them down in his book, Lucky Me, which includes his most embarrassing story, which happened right here in Albany.

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The book tells the following incredible story:

"In fact, one of Eddie's most embarrassing moments came against [Ralph] Kiner's Albany Senators in Elmira. With a runner on first base, the pitcher threw over to Eddie to try to pick the guy off. Eddie, however, didn't see it and had to chase the ball down after it sailed by him. The owner of the team, John Ogden, was in the stands and hollered out 'Robinson, we're going to have to get you an alarm clock to keep you awake when the pitcher throws over!' His teammates got a big kick out of it, but Eddie didn't think it was funny at the time." - Lucky Me, My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball

This is SUCH a great story, and knowing the passion that Albany sports fans bring to their teams, I'm sure Robinson heard about it from the fans for the rest of the game, and during games in the future.

While that moment definitely fazed, him, it didn't knock the smile off of his face. Take a look at some of these tributes on Twitter, and how he looks in each of them...

One hundred years on this earth, sixty years in the game he loved, and he smiled through every minute of it.

Rest in Peace to a legend of the game of baseball, and a prominent figure in the New York baseball scene, for both the good, and the funny, Eddie Robinson.