Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, the man nicknamed “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” who set the standard for playing third base, has died at age 86, after having become a legendary beloved figure in Baltimore.

A Statement from the Robinson Family and the Orioles:

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Brooks Robinson. An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of…

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 26, 2023

Robinson, who played for the Baltimore Orioles his entire career (1955-1977)  won an astonishing 16 consecutive Gold Gloves (1960-75) during his career; he played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles and became a local hero in the town. He helped the Orioles win the World Series in 1966 and 1970.

Robinson won the 1964 American League MVP after batting .317 with 118 RBIs. He also won the MVP in the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .429 with two home runs. He ended his career just shy of 3,000 hits, with 2,848 hits, a .267 batting average, 268 home runs and 1,357 RBIs. He appeared in 18 All-Star Games.

But it was his defense that made him legendary, as can be seen here.

After the five-game 1970 World Series against the Reds, where Robinson made one dazzling play after another, he statedwith typical humility, “I just happened to be in the right spot in that series. I tell people that I played 23 seasons and I never did have five games in a row like I did in that World Series. It was a once in a lifetime five-game series for me and it just happened to be in a World Series.”

Robinson once told writers that his defense was never brought up when he was negotiating a contract with the Orioles. General Manager Harry Dalton explained why, as Doug Wilson wrote in “Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson”: “Perhaps his glove wasn’t brought up by me because I think you can understand that I would have everything to lose by bringing up his defense. How could I bring up defense? How could I debate perfection?”

In addition, Robinson was beloved as a human being for his graciousness and humility. “Great player, great guy on the field, great guy off,” fellow Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer recalled. “Respectful, kind. And you don’t meet too many guys like that. Brooks was a genuine person. There was no acting. Brooks was just a genuine person.”

Jim Palmer reflects on the legacy of Brooks Robinson. pic.twitter.com/2UlvMt5gBd

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) September 26, 2023

Robinson was such a beloved figure in Baltimore that when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 1983, the crowd was estimated at 12,000 people, 4,000 more than any previous induction ceremony. Wilson noted, “56 buses, 14 planes and countless individual cars made the 250-mile ‘trip of pride’ sponsored by the business community of Baltimore.” Bill Tanton, sports editor of the Baltimore Sun, said, “When Brooks went in, it was like a member of your family going in.”

Robinson reacted humbly, “I can’t believe it. It was just unbelievable for all these people to make this hike up from Baltimore to see me go into the Hall of Fame. If I’m making them happy in any way, then that makes me happy.”

Remembering Mr. Oriole 🧡 pic.twitter.com/vibCuUWybB

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 26, 2023

"Brooks Robinson is iconic – not just in the game of baseball, but in Baltimore as a whole.
 
Few people captured the hearts of a community like Brooks. His charm, kindness and class truly made him one of a kind.”

Steve Bisciotti on the passing of @Orioles legend Brooks… pic.twitter.com/VNBF1auf9I

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 26, 2023

The memories we all share of Brooks will live on. My thoughts are with Connie and the Robinson family. We lost a great man but were so fortunate to have had him in our lives." – CRJ

— Cal Ripken, Jr. (@CalRipkenJr) September 26, 2023

When I was a little kid, I couldn’t imagine anyone ever being cooler than Brooks Robinson.

I still can’t.

RIP pic.twitter.com/7PpHWTwBoB

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) September 26, 2023

Words can’t express how I feel right now. A sad day for our Hall of Fame family with passing of Brooks Robinson. One of the most kindest and sincere individual I have ever met. Brooks you will be dearly missed my friend RIP 🙏

— Wade Boggs (@ChickenMan3010) September 26, 2023

Daily Wire Host Michael Knowles appeared at Georgetown University in the opening lecture of a new college tour sponsored by YAF on Tuesday night.

During his lecture, Knowles posed the question: “Is Biden More Evil Than Putin Or Xi?”

Knowles drew parallels between the state-controlled media in Russia and China and the Biden administration’s unprecedented censorship of Americans, such as the throttling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, which was falsely flagged as likely disinformation by senior intelligence officials sympathetic to the Democratic Party.

Knowles also highlighted the atrocities committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, which has been described as a genocide, and includes forced sterilization and abortions. While decrying those actions as morally indefensible, Knowles noted that Biden and the Democratic Party have tirelessly promoted abortion in the United States – roughly 1 million abortions take place in the U.S. each year. 

The Biden administration has also championed experimental procedures for trans-identifying children, including exposure to cross-sex hormones and various body modification surgeries. Knowles argued that minors and their parents can’t truly consent to the lifetime of sterility early medical intervention causes in gender-confused children – children are too young, parents are often cajoled with threats that their child will commit suicide if they don’t “support their transition,” and the desire to remove healthy tissue and artificially modify the body in and of itself calls the mental competence of the patient to make medical decisions into question.

While Knowles argues that the United States is unquestionably a better country than China or Russia, the moral stature of its leadership rests on far shakier ground.

Despite that assessment, and recent polling that suggests Biden is historically unpopular and highly vulnerable politically, Knowles does not believe that the president is going to be removed from the Democratic ticket.

“I know this is countercultural now,” Knowles said, “But I would still put a little bit of money on Biden being on the ticket.”

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Knowles said that despite widespread, and, in his view, well-founded, concerns about the president’s age and mental acuity, Biden is still the de facto leader of the Democratic Party. Because he has no clear successor, removing him at this stage of the race would result in chaotic infighting.

“It would be an admission that things aren’t going well,” Knowles said. “For Joe Biden not to run for re-election would be an admission that the lights are on, but nobody’s home – and we all know that, but thus far, the Democrats have kept a fairly united front in saying that he’s really running the show.”

Knowles also noted that Joe Biden “has wanted to be president since he was in the womb” and is unlikely to give up his position without a fight.

Knowles argued that the polls were still worth watching, since they demonstrated that Trump could credibly oust Biden in 2024 – Republican critics of Trump have often argued that he’s polarizing and unelectable, citing his narrow defeat in 2020.

“I think the whole talking point is kind of silly,” Knowles said. “We know that Trump can win a general [election], he already did it … he’s won at least one.”