By Rob Centorani
Do you know of Brooks Robinson?
Well, many of the fathers who'll attend the first Hall of Fame Classic at 2 p.m. Sunday at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown likely will be familiar with Robinson's 23-year career as a third baseman with the Baltimore Orioles, one that ended in 1977.
As for the youths?
"You know, 99 percent of the sons won't know who I am," the 72-year-old Robinson, one of five Hall of Famers who'll play on Father's Day, said during a phone interview Friday. "They'll say, I thought you were dead,' or Didn't you used to play with Babe Ruth?'"
Then there's Bob Feller.
His major-league career started during the Great Depression.
It also spanned through the first game featuring major-league players at Doubleday Field. That game included players from all 16 major league teams, a seven-inning exhibition that ended with the National League Wagners beating the American League Collins, 4-2, on June 12, 1939.
It coincided with the opening of the museum and its first induction ceremony.
Nine days past the 70-year anniversary of that initial game, the first edition of the Classic will feature a seven-inning exhibition between the Wagners and the Collins.
Though Bob Feller didn't play in Cooperstown in 1939, he was four years into an 18-year major-league career that landed him in the Hall of Fame.
As a 20-year-old that season, Feller went 24-7 for the Cleveland Indians with a 2.85 ERA, striking out 246 batters over 296 2/3 innings.
Now 90, Feller will be front and center, starting Sunday's game exhibition on the mound.
"Bob's been a Hall of Famer more than half his life," Hall Senior Director of Communications Brad Horn said of Feller, one of the hardest throwers of his generation, who was inducted into the Hall in 1962.
"He's the Hall of Fame's senior-most member," Horn continued. "When the idea of a Hall of Fame Classic came up to start a new tradition, he was the first to say, I'm going to pitch in your Classic game.'"
The Classic, which also counts Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Phil Niekro and Paul Molitor among the 28 former major leaguers who'll suit up Sunday, replaced the Hall of Fame Game.
From 1940 through last season, Major League Baseball provided teams for the annual game at Doubleday _ the sport's last in-season exhibition.
It ended in 2008, when rain canceled the final game between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. MLB cited scheduling problems as the main reason for discontinuing the event.
On Nov. 17, the Hall announced the Classic would become an annual event that would take place on Father's Day.
"It's very important (for the Classic to be successful)," said Robinson, the president of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, which provided retired players for the Classic. "I was shocked when Major League Baseball said it didn't have the time and that it's tough for teams to travel, so (the Hall) has to fill that void."
From a box-office standpoint, the Classic hasn't yet caught on with fans the way its predecessor did. Horn said Thursday that just fewer than 7,000 tickets have been sold.
But Horn added: "There are guys in excellent ball-playing shape and those who've been away for a little longer and haven't played that much over the years. It makes for the very unique nature of this game. There are fewer and fewer old-timers and legends events being played today.
"The concept is a natural fit for what we do in Cooperstown everyday," he continued. "We've been preparing and there's a good buzz locally. People are talking about the game, but it's an unproven product in year one. We feel it's necessary to build a successful event."
If the weather holds _ there's a 40 percent chance of showers Sunday _ Horn said that with walk-up sales, it's possible the 9,791-seat Doubleday could be close to capacity.
Admission is $12.50 for first- and third-base seats and $11 for outfield seats. Tickets can be ordered by calling (866) 849-7770 or through the Hall's website at www.baseballhall.org.
The retired players supplied by the MLBPAA range from very recognizable _ recently retired Jeff Kent, Steve Finley, Mike Timlin and Lee Smith; to somewhat recognizable _ George Foster, Bobby Grich, Jim Kaat, Steve Lyons, Dennis Rasmussen, Mike Pagliarulo and Steve Rogers; to relatively obscure _ Fred Cambria, John Doherty, Micah Franklin, Steve Grilli, Johnny Grubb, Jim Hannan, Joe Lahoud, Kevin Maas, Ron Robinson, Rich Surhoff, Anthony Telford and Jon Warden.
"It's a good cross-section of players who run the gamut," Horn said. "From a five-year all-star like Steve Rogers to a player like Lee Smith, who's still eligible for the Hall of Fame, to guys who had success at lesser levels, they're all in this game for a reason. It's all geared toward a fan-friendly experience."
Horn also said to expect some to man positions they're unaccustomed to playing.
For example, former Chicago Cubs closer Smith will start for the Wagners in center field, and Timlin and Kaat will start in right field and left field, respectively, for the Collins.
"Some will appear at different positions," he said. "We're pretty heavy on pitchers. The competitive spirit probably won't burn quite as strong, but they'll be out there to hustle and have fun with it."
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Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.
