They are, however, different than the guys with whom he played, and different even than those he managed during his first three coaching stints, in Cleveland (1975-77), San Francisco (1981-84) and Baltimore (1988-91). They make more money. They have different interests, different hair, different work habits.
"He is old-school, there's no doubt," pitcher Zach Day said. "There's a lot of things that have changed since he played, not just the game. Just getting adjusted to the different lifestyle, and the new era, is probably tough."
Frank Robinson's name is the most famous on the Washington Nationals roster: He ranks fifth in baseball history in home runs.
(Gary Bogdon For The Washington Post)
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It is an area, Robinson said, into which he has put considerable work.
"I knew that, coming back [to manage], I couldn't be the same type of manager I was when I left," he said. "You have to listen first. You can't just tell people: 'Because I'm the manager, that's why.' You have to explain things to them. You have to listen to them. You have to, sometimes, adjust, and say, 'Okay, you're right. Maybe we'll try it that way.' "
Take infield practice. When Robinson played, the regulars took infield every day. He still feels that's the best way to go about things, that it loosens you up, gets you focused. But during his time in Montreal, the players asked him whether it was necessary. They do so much work to prepare, they said, that infield every day could tire them out.
"I said, 'Okay, we'll try it,' " Robinson said. "In the past, I'd have said, 'No. We're doing it each day.' "
That flexibility, Robinson said, colors his approach to this spring training. The Nationals have any number of questions surrounding them, from the health of second baseman Jose Vidro to the durability of the starting pitching rotation to the merits of adding free agents Vinny Castilla, Cristian Guzman and Esteban Loaiza. After going 67-95 in 2004, they are the easy pick to finish last in the National League East division again.
Yet Robinson doesn't want his players affected by such talk. Not in February. Not when the sun is shining and the grass is green and no one has made an error.
"You have to keep the players a little loose and let them have some fun," Robinson said. "It's not a daily grind. But I want their attention to detail. I want them to do things correctly. I don't believe in staying out here on the field a long time just to say we were out here. If we can get our daily routine done in the time that is allotted, we're outta here. If not, we're here."
How Robinson gets his guys to perform this spring and summer will go a long way toward determining whether he will coach the team in the future, regardless of who owns it. Bowden, unequivocally, said that Robinson shouldn't feel threatened by the fact that one of Bowden's special assistants in the front office, Bob Boone, managed for Bowden in Cincinnati. "There is no manager-in-waiting," Bowden said.
With that knowledge, the face of the Nationals appeared Monday, hidden behind those shades, as storied a past as anybody in the game. He looked around, not a player in sight, and professed his excitement.
"I think this ballclub has a chance to be a winning ballclub, and I don't mean just a winning record," he said. "I want to be a part of that."
