Brooks Robinson had spoken to his friend four days ago. "He wanted to be home, not in a hospital," said Robinson, the Hall of Fame third baseman and teammate on championship teams in 1966 and 1970.

Brooks Robinson, a fellow first-ballot Hall of Famer, said he spoke to his Baltimore teammate and longtime friend a few days ago. "He was the best player I ever played with," he said.

"One of the greatest is not here today, but my prayers and thanks go out to my brother, Brooks Robinson. He is one of the nicest individuals that I have ever come across in life or in this game.

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 1966, file photo, Baltimore Orioles teammates Frank Robinson, left, and Brooks Robinson pose after leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-2 win in the opening game of the ...

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who hit 586 home runs and helped the Orioles win World Series in 1966 and 1970, and later managed the Nationals, died Thursday in Southern California. He was 83. Here ...

Robinson was a black man from Beaumont, Texas, and Brooks a white man from Little Rock, Ark. But when No. 5 and No. 20 combined forces, the Orioles became No. 1.

Object Details depicted Robinson, Frank referenced Baltimore Orioles maker Topps Company, Inc. Credit Line Chris Hughes date made 1968 ID Number 1979.0456.045 accession number 1979.0456 catalog number ...