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November 24, 2015I first met Dave Roberts between games of a doubleheader in Harrisburg, Pa., in late June 1998. Roberts, a speedy 26-year-old minor leaguer, had been traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Cleveland Indians in the Geronimo Berroa deal earlier in the week.
Roberts, UCLA’s all-time leader in stolen bases, made his Indians organization debut that series for the Double-A Akron Aeros. My parents and I, avid minor league baseball fans, just happened to make the five-hour drive to Harrisburg for that exact series. And we just happened to be sitting next to one of Roberts’ former UCLA coaches down the left-field line.
Between games, Roberts came over to greet his former coach. Since we had been chatting throughout the first game, the coach introduced us as well. Roberts took a liking to me, as I was likely the very first young Akron Aeros fan he had met in his brief time in the Indians system. That interaction started an amazing few years of a friendship for a baseball-loving kid.
On Monday, Dave Roberts — the adored savior of the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series run — was officially named the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Born to a Japanese mother and an African-American father, he’s the first minority manager in the franchise’s storied history. He previously served as a San Diego Padres coach since 2011.
The news could not have happened to a better person. In professional sports, there are many good, honest, sincere athletes who care deeply about their teammates and others in the community. Dave Roberts is one of the absolute greatest. There was no need for Roberts to take such a liking to me. There was no need for him to send me Christmas letters. There was no need for him to be the best sports hero for a young Cleveland sports fan.
After the chance meeting in Harrisburg, Roberts became my new favorite player. Of course, I cheered him along at every opportunity back at Canal Park during Aeros games. I traveled to other road games throughout the Double-A Eastern League. And when he was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo the next season, I even went there, too.
Have I told y'all how Dave Roberts is my favorite athlete ever? From 1999 in Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/eLYPOXlqw3
— Jacob L. Rosen (@JacobLRosen) August 31, 2014
That’s where this famous photo took place. It was Family Fun Day at the Bisons game in July 19991. Fans had the opportunity to walk around the diamond and get autographs and pictures with all of the players. I wore my Akron Aeros hat as a reminder, in case Roberts was suddenly too good to remember his old buddy. He knew me instantly. It made me smile so, so much.
I was the biggest Dave Roberts fan in the world. You can even ask Terry Pluto about that. As an 8- or 9-year-old kid, I’d pester Pluto, a family friend, at book signings throughout Northeast Ohio with the same questions every time: “What about Dave Roberts? Where does he fit in the Indians’ long-term plans?” Of course, Roberts was an old minor leaguer with limited hitting. A young kid’s fandom knows no such thing as objectivity or facts.
Over the years, I accumulated batting gloves, fielding gloves, bats, and other assorted Roberts memorabilia. I even was able to get him to sign that picture from the game in Buffalo. He played only 75 games for the Indians, but managed to have a very solid 10-year MLB career. I also saw him play in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He stole an average of 38 bases from 2002-07 and batted .266 overall in his career. But the story of my connection with Roberts gets even better, thanks to the recent help of Cleveland Browns executive vice president and chief revenue officer Brent Stehlik.
Stehlik knew Roberts from his time with the Padres prior to joining the Browns in early 2013. Just randomly, he saw my tweet and photo above from August 2014. He also knew that I’d soon be starting my sports business MBA program at the University of Oregon. So he sent a message to WFNY’s Rick Grayshock, tracked down my address, and surprised me with a package. It included a newly signed baseball from Roberts.
The ball read: “To Jacob, good luck at Oregon!!” Stehlik’s accompanying note read: “Jacob — Thought you might need something to look at when you need a little motivation. Don’t ever silence the voice of your inner fan. Best of luck!” It was a sweet, sweet gesture. Roberts’ cooperation in the surprise was so typical of all of the nice things everyone has ever said about him.
Dave Roberts was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May 2010 and later announced he was in remission. Highlights of his famous 2004 stolen base with the Red Sox still make me smile like the biggest fan of the world. Kudos to you, Dave. You’re an incredible inspiration and an amazing fighter. Thanks for being my favorite athlete in the world. You’ve certainly got one more Dodgers fan now.
- My father and I also distinctly remember this road trip because we watched the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final on the big screen at Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo. [↩]
1 Comment
A great story and always nice to hear that some of our athletes are truly decent human beings!