Here's to you, Mr. Robinson

I haven't written a fan letter in a long time. Sometime in the '80s I wrote one to U.S. Rep. Ron Dellums, more recently the mayor of Oakland, Calif., after a powerful appearance on Phil Donahue's show; that may have been my last one. Until now.

Recently I've been rediscovering some of the ancient baseball books on my bookshelf. "Baseball Stars of 1965" comprises profiles of a number of memorable (Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle) and not-so-memorable (Juan Pizarro? Wally Bunker??) players.  

But the one that stood out for me was that of Frank Robinson. Turns out he and I have a lot in common. For one, he is the youngest of 11 children, as am I.

OK, so that's the only thing we have in common.

Still, I was touched by his story of being misunderstood and underrated for the first nine years of his career, despite putting up numbers that would eventually pave his way to Cooperstown. The writer was both empathetic and critical, and the article prompted me to write the following letter to Mr. Robinson:

Dear Frank Robinson,

I recently ran across a rather unflattering profile of you, written by Bill Libby, in the book "Baseball Stars of 1965."

"It is hard to believe, but Frank Robinson will become a 10-year-man in the majors this year," Libby wrote. "And it does appear he is on the decline, for he has now followed his two greatest years with two years that were no more than fair, especially for a player of his accomplishments, and some of the zest seems to have gone out of his play. ... The controversial career of Frank Robinson may be at the cross-roads."

HA! I guess Mr. Libby ate some crow after you hit .316 with 49 HRs, 122 runs and 122 RBI and won the MVP the following year.

Later in the same profile, Libby wrote: "If it were not for his unpopular image, he might be the first Negro manager."

HA, again!

Mr. Robinson, I grew up in the 1970s as a Detroit Tigers fan, and I was mad at you often for beating up on my Tigers. But even as a young kid I could see you were a player not only with amazing skills, but also with class and grace. The day you managed your first game in Cleveland was one of the greatest days in the history of the game.

Mr. Robinson, I'm sorry you were mistreated and misunderstood in the first part of your career, but I admire you for how you overcame all that to become one of the greatest players and statesmen the game has ever seen. Your place in the Hall of Fame was hard-earned and well-deserved.

Thank you for all you have meant and contributed to baseball and to life.

A fan,

Jim Kavanagh

I think it's important when we admire people to let them know. Who deserves a fan letter from you?