Brian Roberts Talked to Us

Baltimore’s Brian Roberts is one of the few MLBers who holds the twin distinctions of being both a pretty darn great player and a decent, thoughtful guy. Fresh off an All-Star snub—he doesn’t think it’s a snub, but we have no clue how a second baseman boasting an .864 OPS and a solid glove doesn’t belong on the team—he called to talk charity (his Brian’s Bracelet program, which provides more comfortable stays for patients at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children) and about his way-friskier-than-expected Orioles.

How did the Brian’s Bracelet program start?
I’ve been working with the hospital for five or six years now. GameWear came up with the idea of a bracelet with Orioles colors and a baseball on it, with me and two kids kind of cartooned on it. They’re $10 each and all proceeds go to the hospital. GameWear doesn’t make a cent off this.

You seem to be taking this stuff pretty personally.
When I was five years old, I had open heart surgery. So I spent time in a hospital as a kid and I know what it does to both the child and the family. We're trying to make the experience there as good as it can possibly be—not only with visits and having personal relationships with the kids and their families, but also financially as well.

I was very fortunate. My dad was the college baseball coach at the time for the University of North Carolina. I can remember his players coming to visit me and lots of other people reaching out. But unfortunately, not all kids have that, so we try to make visits and take over t-shirts, toys, books, video games, things like that. We’ve got the bracelets and my function in September (Brian's Baseball Bash).

OK, what about this season?
It’s been fun for us. Going into spring training, there were not a whole lot of expectations outside of our organization or even inside our organization. With the big trades we made this winter—trading away Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard—people thought we’d fall off the face of the earth for a little while. But we’ve played really good baseball and it’s been fun to be a part of it. I’ve heard more support from fans this year than I have in a long time, about how much fun our team is to watch.

Uh huh. And what about your All-Star snub?
The All-Star Game is always interesting. You never know how it’s going to shake out player-wise. There are lots of second basemen having great years: Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler. It was one of those numbers games, I guess.

You don't sound like you've been snubbed. Surprised by your Os so far this year? 
You’re talking about major-league players here. It’s not like we’re going to roll over and die, and it’s not like we’re not capable of going out and playing against anybody else. On a daily basis, you go out there and believe you have a chance to win. How that turns out over 162 games? We may not be in the position to fight against New York or Boston in a 162-game season, but we’re certainly capable of going out there and giving ourselves a chance on a day-to-day basis. 

How 'bout them Tampa Rays?
We’ve been saying for two or three years they were ready to play this way. We just felt they needed another arm or two in the starting rotation; they never really had that front-to-back depth. Offensively they’ve always driven you crazy. Now they’re starting to pitch. We knew when they put the two together they’d be dangerous. I’m not sure if any of us expected it to happen this quick or that they’d be this good. 

You've been the subject of numerous trade rumors, mostly involving the Cubs. Let's talk about feelings.
You say that you don’t worry about it and it doesn’t bother you, but throughout the winter and spring training, I thought about it. Every day it was part of my life. People were asking and calling. At one point this winter, I got a text message saying a deal was done.

You put it out of your mind. Once the season starts, you just go out there and play the game. You know you’re going to be playing baseball one way or another, whether it’s in Baltimore or Chicago or some other city. You're still going to be playing the same game and position.

Which players did you most admire growing up?
Cal Ripken is one of the guys I certainly admire, for who he is as person and what he did for the game, the way he went about his business. I was fortunate to play with him in his last year. The consecutive game streak, for most of us who play every day, is unfathomable [Laughs].

I loved watching Ozzie Smith play when I was growing up. He was a smaller, switch-hitting shortstop, which is what I was at the time. Walt Weiss, who played for my dad, was one of my heroes. B.J. Surhoff as well.

What are we going to get out of the Orioles in the season's second half?
We need to continue to build for the future. At the end of July, you never know what’s going to happen and what’s going to unfold with teams and trades. We have some pieces people may want. You try to keep your focus on the game and not worry about the trades. We may not win the pennant, but we do want to continue to get better.