Great Look at Brooks Robinson's Rawlings SM6

[dwknowles]

I just checked the Rawlings Trade Digest... There are 2 pictures of Stan, some Dealers, and Brooks Robinson. One even has Brooks wearing an SM6 and describes him as "registering his approval" of the glove.

By no means a smoking gun saying he used it in games, but I would think it could make a a fairly plausible situation.

[lnsmdrftr]

The Rawlings SM6 that I had was purchased in 1967 and had the Boog Powell autograph on it. It was my first "nice" glove as a kid and I remember how great it smelled when new. Despite it being one of my most prized possessions, along with a Puma White Hunter knife, a drunken, thieving redneck uncle stole both items in 1969 and I was without the SM6 until 2002 when I found it in a basket of items stored in his daughter's house in Maryland. It had been used to the point of being worn out but I recovered it and gave it to my daughter as a keepsake. I never found the knife.

[dwknowles]

I read a similar story about a Musial SM6 on the net some time ago. A man who had a bad family life growing up, managed to hide some money and bought the glove, only to have it stolen by an uncle. The glove was later reclaimed, but the overall story really was more moving than just the glove. I printed it out, but have no idea what I did with the story, and can't locate the blog anymore.

[dwknowles]

Here is another link and it seems as though Brooks had a lot of respect for Stan "the man". Could have led to him possibly using a Musial model.

http://brooks.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/2005/10/index.html

[mudman]

My Brooks Robinson XPG3-H

[mudman]

This one, XPG3-H is not endorsed

[lnsmdrftr]

I would like to see the story that DWKNOWLES mentioned that he had read on another person having their SM6 glove stolen. It sounds like a good glove story. My own prized Boog Powell SM6 was stolen but I think my folks were as upset as I was over it. They actually gave me the funds to buy another glove but the only thing comparable that I could find was a Spalding Rick Monday model which just did not have the mystique, the feel or the smell of a Rawlings. I understand that Rawlings may have made the better line of gloves that Spalding marketed back them but as I said, there just seemed to be something missing if it wasn't a Rawlings. I didn't keep it long and bought another unendorsed Rawlings HOH model in the early 70's. I cannot recall the model number but it had the Basket Web, Ed-U-cated heel and Wing Tip back.

[spedrunr]

sweet gloves mudman

lnsmdrftr, sounds like your glove from the 70's might have been an xpg3 (was it a conventional back?)

[mudman]

I did a search on Getty Images for Brooks Robinson. It came up with over a 100. In a few of them it shows him with a XPG6 (I think that was the model) with the same web in it that Mickey Mantle used. The one with the twisted lace in the center of it. Anyway I am guessing he used several different gloves during his career.

[dwknowles]

I would like to see the story that DWKNOWLES mentioned that he had read on another person having their SM6 glove stolen. It sounds like a good glove story. My own prized Boog Powell SM6 was stolen but I think my folks were as upset as I was over it. They actually gave me the funds to buy another glove but the only thing comparable that I could find was a Spalding Rick Monday model which just did not have the mystique, the feel or the smell of a Rawlings. I understand that Rawlings may have made the better line of gloves that Spalding marketed back them but as I said, there just seemed to be something missing if it wasn't a Rawlings. I didn't keep it long and bought another unendorsed Rawlings HOH model in the early 70's. I cannot recall the model number but it had the Basket Web, Ed-U-cated heel and Wing Tip back.

I tried doing a google, and a Yahoo search to find it. It has been over a year since I saw it and the blog might not exist anymore. I wish I would have kept better track of it when I printed it.

[lnsmdrftr]

That indeed looks like the Rawlings I had in the early 1970's. I lost it while training at the FLETC in Georgia in 1977 and later bought a Pro H which I still have. I guess my purloined Boog Powell SM6 was like a boy's first love. I still remember it as my favorite Rawlings glove.

[Gloveguy]

There is a picture of Brooks in the 1963 Oriole program fielding a ground ball with what appears to be the initial version of the SM6. The H Web designation was on the thumb and there were no V anchors. There was no background so you couldn't tell if it was taken at spring training or during the season but it wasn't a "posed" shot. I saw several Oriole games during the early and mid sixties and the glove that I most remember Brooks using had a web similar to the Rawling XPG6 but I believe that it had flat lacing across the bottom of the heel as opposed to a curved heal. I do remember that his gloves were well worn and usually appeared as if they had been through a war.
The old yearbooks pictures used to be great for trying to identify what model glove a player was using as many of the pictures were "posed" during spring training. I can remember a picture of Tom Tresh in position to field a grounder with a 1960 Rawlings MMP. All of the markings, including the Mantle autograph, were clear as a bell. Also remember a shot of Luis Tiant in his follow-through with a Rawlings TT10-couldn't see all of the palm so didn't know if it was a Musial or Robinson model. Sure with that I had held on to all those yearbooks!

[toad]

I don't doubt that Brooks used more that one particular model glove, it's obvious. I've also never doubted his use of the XPG3-H based on him telling me in 1967 and showing me in 1967 that's what he used.He later (just recently) told me he used it through 1972.
He also told me he NEVER used as XPG3 (with basket web as gamer) that was one of the gloves that had his signature and was he's catalog glove for a few years.

Here are some photos from the old magazine "The Show" their first issue June 1990.Showing the Brooks glove "From 1970" of which is in the Hall and when you see it (in the Hall) you can make out XPG3-H. Great article. it quotes Rollie Latina. . Send me email and I can send the whole article.

Great detective work Fella's on all these gloves Brooks used and when he used them. Kinda Of fun. If I would not have met in him in 1967 as a kid, what would I have collected?.....I know the answer Schwinn Stingray's, Ludwig drums, 60's & 70's adidas.



Toad

[leftygomez]

whos doing the autograph on the baseball,its a lefty

[dwknowles]

Finally got this posted... only a year later, now that I have a scanner again.

Here they are pictures of Brooks Robinson with Stan the Man at a convention Promoting the SM6