Wilbert Robinson - Robinson and Aviatrix Ruth Law

Robinson and Aviatrix Ruth Law

On March 13, 1915, at spring training in Daytona Beach, Florida, Robinson decided to try to set a record of sorts by catching a baseball dropped from an airplane being flown 525 feet (160 m) overhead. Ruth Law, the aviatrix, supposedly forgot to bring a baseball and instead dropped a grapefruit, which splattered all over the manager. The grapefruit made such a mess that Robinson thought he had lost his eye because of the acid and the bloodlike splatter that covered him. He quickly realized that it was a joke when he saw his teammates burst out in laughter. Outfielder Casey Stengel, later a successful manager himself, is generally believed to have convinced Law to make the switch. From this point on Robinson referred to airplanes as fruit flies.

Robinson was manager when Al Lopez started out as a catcher in the majors. Robinson watched Lopez' style and finally hollered, "Tell that punk he got two hands to catch with! Never mind the Fancy Dan stuff." But Lopez went on to eventually surpass Robinson's record of games behind the plate.

After his retirement from managing, Robinson became the president of the Atlanta Crackers minor league team. He died in Atlanta, Georgia at 71 years of age following a brain hemorrhage, and was buried in the New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.

Robinson's brother, Fred Robinson, also played briefly in the majors, appearing in 3 games for the 1884 Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of the Union Association.