Like many frustrated Nats fans, I’ve found myself cursing the in-game strategy of manager Frank Robinson fairly often. He operates impulsively, trusting his gut more often than statistics or matchups, with less than convincing results. Many of his peers are similarly critical: he’s been voted by major league players to be the worst manager in baseball two years in a row. His future in the organization after this season is uncertain. It’s clear enough that his long career is in its twilight.

Today, though, is Frank’s 71st birthday, and as our birthday gift to him, we’re looking past this miserable August and forgettable season, to a career that was one of the best in baseball history. Having left Baltimore in 1971 and playing for the last time in 1976, many DCist readers weren’t even born while Frank was dominating the game. We all can use the occasional dose of historical perspective, especially as Alfonso Soriano chases history at RFK (though today’s Post wonders just whose history he’s chasing).

We’re lucky to have a legend sitting in our third base dugout every night, and we could potentially only have a few months left with him as an everyday National, so it’s time to appreciate the birthday boy.

Photo by randomduck.