In the eyes of an elementary school kid, a baseball player who stands only 5-foot-9 appears larger than life in uniform. Yet, several days after Naomi Bridger watched Orioles star second baseman Brian Roberts in action against the Washington Nationals, she saw one of the Orioles’ top players in a different light.

On Wednesday morning, some 14 hours after he had hit a solo home run to help the Orioles take a 7-5 victory over visiting Kansas City, there was Roberts, looking a bit bleary-eyed, once again in his element.

Instead of performing before 20,000 fans, Roberts held the attention of fewer than 20 boys and girls hanging on his words at Park School of Baltimore. There, the All-Pro Image/Perform Fit Sports and Fitness Camp was in full swing, and Roberts doled out equal doses of encouragement and instruction during fielding drills and a home run derby contest.

Roberts, who soon could be headed to his third All-Star game in seven seasons with the Orioles, looked nothing like a great baseball player during his two-hour visit to Park School. As unpretentious as a star can be, Roberts simply was a big, friendly kid hanging out with his own kind.

This story continues below
Advertisement

“When I saw [Roberts] on Sunday in his uniform, he looked totally different,” said Naomi, 9, who also enjoyed a similar camp visit by Ravens receiver Derrick Mason on Monday. “When I saw him today, it was weird. I didn’t think it was him.

“It was the same thing with Derrick Mason. It was like seeing ordinary guys on the street. They’re smiling when they come in to see us. They don’t walk fast when they leave. They’re not thinking about wins and losses. They’re thinking about kids. They’re excited to see us.”

Roberts, 30, simply was doing what comes naturally. During his time with the Orioles, he has been one of the team’s more engaged players in the Baltimore community.

A regular visitor to area hospitals, Roberts has returned to Baltimore the last two winters to take part in the Orioles’ annual holiday party for children. He has hosted an event the last two summers that has raised more than $300,000 for the University of Maryland’s Hospital For Children.

On Wednesday morning, Roberts probably could have used the hours for much-needed sleep. Major league players are fighting nagging injuries and fatigue this time of year, since they’ve been grinding away daily for five months, going back to spring training.

But Roberts, who is single, is still drawn to the kids, just like he was as a 12-year-old coaching 6-to-8-year-olds at his father’s baseball camp in Chapel Hill, N.C. Mike Roberts is the former coach at the University of North Carolina, where Brian played for part of his collegiate career under his father, before transferring to South Carolina and getting drafted by the Orioles.

“I was working at a baseball camp for four weeks every summer. It’s a huge part of my summer memories growing up, some of the best times of my life,” said Roberts, who concluded his visit by signing autographs. “I think it was a way for my parents to teach me a lesson about working. But it really shaped what I enjoy doing, which is being around kids. It’s important to show some interest in our community. Your time span in this game is so short to make an impact, to have that voice. You have to take advantage of it.”

You watch Roberts, so relaxed and positive as he mingles with the kids, and you think back to how he was the subject of trade rumors in the offseason with the Chicago Cubs. You understand how Roberts, in the prime of an excellent pro career, could command mulitple prizes in a trade to bolster the Orioles’ rebuilding effort.

But you watch him play at such a high level on the field, then see him perform in his other element. You see how clearly Roberts gets it. And you hope he stays put as a fixture in Baltimore.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com