Yesterday was William Clyde “Rabbit” Robinson’s birthday. In Art Audley’s This Date in Washington Senators History that was posted yesterday Art writes we have no record of how Robinson made his way to Detroit where he played in 101 games in 1904, hitting .241.
Well a couple of our writers sent me e-mail to let me know what they knew about Rabbit Robinson. The first message is from Kevin Flynn.
Mark, saw the mention of Robinson. I have attached some of the information
we have about him.
Clyde “Rabbit” Robinson – Infielder
“Considered to be one of the coming infielders in the game. He covers a good amount of ground, and has a good throwing arm, and can hit like a fiend. He is also a good base runner. “Robbie” is built exceedingly close to the ground and his short legs fairly twinkle as he speeds around the bases. It is comical sight to see him speeding along and he was nicknamed” “The Rabbit.”[1]
This about his sale.
“The sale of Robinson to Detroit, where he is badly needed, should benefit that club and the player alike. Robbie is the right sort, and will make good if given a fair chance in a position where he is at home. He has the making of an excellent major leaguer, and only needs careful development by some managerial genius to bring it out.”
In 1904, it looks like there was some doubt about his desire to play, at least his desire to play in Washington. The Senators had picked up Barry McCormick and thought he was a better fit at second. They also had Charles Moran, a local kid, at shortstop.
This is what I have about McCormick
“Barry McCormick is looking remarkably well and will veto base hits at second in his inimitable way. While Mac is probably not expecting to reach the .300 mark himself, a fielder of his ability is a treasure if he comes within thirty or forty points of it.”
[1] Washington Times. Later he seemed to grow careless and adopted the “I-wish-pay-day-was-here” manner. His stock dropped and the fans changed his handle to “The Shrimp.”
From Jim Hartley:
I couldn’t find anything on the departure of Rabbit Robinson either. A while ago, I did find a reference to him in the early days of his tenure with the Tigers in 1904. The reporter wasn’t very kind. It was something along the lines of the Tigers management being happy that Robinson was in Detroit and so were the Washington management and fans. The writers weren’t nearly as gentle back then. Even in the ’30s, Shirley Povich was less than subtle with his descriptions of under-performing Nats. How times have changed!
