FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 1 -- In praising Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, some will mention his passion for baseball. Roberts, it is said, has tremendous heart. It is perhaps one of the reasons he survived a four-year fight for second base with friend Jerry Hairston, and the most tangible evidence of how such a slight player -- 5 feet 9, 175 pounds -- could lead the American League in doubles last season.
As a child, Roberts' heart threatened his life and almost ended his dream of playing baseball. At age 5, Roberts had surgery to repair a hole in his heart. A large, unmistakable scar on his chest still remains. A visit from a group of ballplayers from the University of North Carolina helped to alleviate some of the pain.
O's second baseman Brian Roberts had surgery at age 5 to fix a hole in his heart. He was visited by then-Tar Heels star B.J. Surhoff, now a teammate.
(Robert F. Bukaty -- AP)
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"I know the little things can cheer you up," Roberts said.
Last season Roberts established himself as one of the premier second baseman in the AL. His 50 doubles broke a 103-year-old record for most by a switch hitter in a season. Hairston's departure in the Sammy Sosa trade leaves no doubt as to who will be the Orioles' starter.
His charity work may be what separates him from most players, though. This offseason Roberts visited patients going through ordeals similar to his own at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children.
"I think it means a little bit more when it comes from someone who's been through that," Roberts said. "Sometimes we take for granted the impact we have. You realize we are in a unique situation and we can make an impact."
Roberts still remembers his own surgery was a difficult time.
"You see healthy friends and you wonder why it happened to you," Roberts said. "It's something you don't wish happened to anyone."
He was diagnosed with the hole in his heart at age 1, but at the suggestion of the doctors, Roberts's parents opted to delay surgery until he became exhausted while playing with other children. Roberts's mother, Nancy, had a brother who went through a similar surgery.
"We knew we had to make a decision to what we had to do," Nancy Roberts said. "Seeing what my brother went through, there was a concern about our son going through that at a young age. It's always hard to see your children in pain and hurting. That was the hardest thing."
The day of the surgery was perhaps the most memorable for both Roberts and his mother. When the doctors arrived to take Roberts to surgery, the young child clung to his mother's leg.
"Mommy, I don't want to go," he said.
"I remember that vividly," she said. "I think he does too."
Roberts experienced no complications during surgery and was expected to recover completely, though the process was not painless. Friends and family visited often. Roberts's father, Mike, was a longtime coach at North Carolina and several Tar Heels also showed up at the hospital -- including current Oriole B.J. Surhoff.
"He was very much part of the team," Surhoff said. "A lot of guys had known him for three or four years. It wasn't a kid you'd never met."
As Roberts grew older, the only reminder of the surgery was the Y-shaped scar on his chest, which begins slightly above his belly button and extends to the tops of both pectoral muscles.
"That was a little hard for me when I went to the pool," Roberts said. "I was a little bit embarrassed. As a kid you don't want to stand out."
His experience has compelled him to help others. At age 15 Roberts already was volunteering to speak to children. When he attended North Carolina, Roberts went to the same hospital where had had surgery and spent time with ailing children. Every offseason, Roberts returned to the hospital. This year, Roberts wanted to visit children in the Baltimore area, which led him to the University of Maryland Hospital for Children. He hopes to continue the visits this season.
"I'm grateful that God has worked in his life, that he is a man who shares himself with other people," his mother said.
