He was dubbed “The Human Vacuum Cleaner.”

And when we watched him, he lived up to his reputation.

Legendary Baltimore Orioles’ third baseman Brooke Robinson passed recently at the age of 86.

Before Mike Schmidt hit his prime, Robinson arguably was the best fielding third baseman in the game, and possibly the best ever. It can be a good debate on whether Robinson or Schmidt is at the top of the list.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column, I will look back at some of the better fielding third baseman and take a look at some baseball and football anecdotes from the past.

Do you remember Roy Firestone? How about Lehighton native Christian Hackenberg? Or Mr. Whoopee?

Sweeping Away: Robinson hit his pinnacle in the 1970 World Series against the Reds when he arguably made five highlight reel plays.

The most memorable ones were his backhand swipe and throw behind the third-base bag across the diamond to throw out Lee May (remember him?), and then his diving stab to rob Johnny Bench (by the way, if you watch the replay of that play, May might have been safe in a very tight play).

Robinson was named the Series MVP, as many people may forget he hit .429 with 17 total bases and two homers. Robinson finished with a field percentage of .971, as he had 264 errors in 9,196 chances over 23 years, a stat that is mind-blowing.

Robinson’s brilliance was often overshadowed by the likes of those loaded Orioles’ teams, notably the pitching staff of Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar. Paul Blair was as good as it was in centerfield, and Mark Belanger was another vacuum cleaner at short. Then there was Frank Robinson and Boog Powell.

No Third-Rate Citizens: Schmidt’s raw power usually cloaked Robinson’s field superiority, but Schmidt could hold his own with a fielding position of .955.

However, ex-Phillie Placido Polanco has the highest career mark at .983 and had a .986 percentage in 2012. Don’t forget about Don Money, who had a low batting average, but has a .975 career fielding slot.

One of the best was Cleveland and Cincinnati’s Buddy Bell, who had a .979 clip. His son, ex-Phillie David, had a .955 tally in his day.

During the 1960s and 70s, Ron Santo was a slick fielder with a .954 clip and one of those grind-it-out ballplayers who had 342 career homers. There also was the Cardinals’ Ken Reitz, known for his glove on that always boiling turf, and he had a .969 total.

Joining him in the same period – mainly the 70s – was former Brave Darrell Evans, who posted a .973 percentage. Evans also bombed 400 homers. How about Joe Torre? He played both ends of the diamond and had a .951 clip.

In the 80s, there was George Brett and Craig Nettles. Brett, who played 21 seasons, had a .951 total, while Nettles was at .964. Nettles surely made his share of highlight reels.

You have to throw ex-Phillie Scott Rolen into the mix at .964, and Atlanta’s Chipper Jones was at .930. Miami’s and Boston’s Mike Lowell was at .974.

For the old-timers, there’s Eddie Mathews, who was considered the best third sacker before Robinson and Schmidt. Mathews had a .959 clip and smacked 512 homers. St. Louis’ Ken Boyer had his career cut short due to injuries, but he posted a .968 clip with 282 homers. Boston’s Rico Petrocelli graded out at .977.

Not the Tire: Do you remember Roy Firestone? He was once considered one of the premier sports interview hosts based on his Up Close show that debuted on ESPN in 1994. Firestone stayed with the show until ’94, and he went on to host shows on AD Net and AOL.

A Baseball Staple: Back in 1990, ESPN unveiled “Baseball Tonight” became a staple of the network’s sport’s coverage. The show featured a daily dose of highlights and famed baseball scribes as Peter Gammons.

It was part of the network’s regular lineup until 2019. Can’t you hear its famous opening theme song playing in your head?

Yeah, That League and the Lehighton Legend: In 2019, the Alliance of American Football was launched in hopes of another spring football league. There were eight teams, four each in the East and West divisions.

The East teams were the Atlanta Legends led by Matt Simms; Birmingham Iron led by castoff quarterback Luis Perez; Memphis Express, led by Mike Singletary and featured Lehighton native Christian Hackenberg and linebacker Pepper Johnson, and the Orlando Apollos, coach by Steve Spurrier.

In the West, there was the Arizona Hotshots; Salt Lake Stallions, led by Dennis Erickson; San Antonio Commanders that featured GM Daryl Johnston; and the San Diego Fleet led by Mike Martz

The league lasted seven weeks, and then folded due to money issues. Hackenberg, who passed for 8,457 yards at Penn State, was a second-round pick by the Jets in 2016. He was with the Jets for two seasons, but never got into a game.

The Jets dealt him to Oakland in 2018 and somehow got a seventh-round pick for him. Hackenberg was waived by Oakland and was also signed and waived by Cincinnati. With Memphis, he completed 32 of 62 passes for 277 yards and three interceptions.

A Memorable Penguin: In 1963, the cartoon classic “Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales” premiered on CBS and lasted until 1966.

Tennessee, a penguin, was joined by his best friend Chumley, a walrus, in their adventures. Later, we began to recognize Tennessee’s voice belonged to Maxwell Smart Agent 86, played by Don Adams.

Along with the duo, we were introduced to Mr. Whoopee, who would always provide an educational or historical lesson.

Another Classic Game: Anyone have the Cadaco Foto-Electric football game? I didn’t, but it was a classic in its time. It certainly was one of the game-breaking football games with its debut in 1965.

It was a tactical game like Strat-O-Matic having both players making decisions on their own. The defense picked its card and placed it facedown on the unlit lightbox window. The offense then placed its card on top. Next, a sliding piece of thick cardboard was pulled back to allow light to shine through from a 25-watt bulb inside the box controlled by a switch on an electrical cord you plugged into the wall.

Another simple game that crossed our lives.

Memory Lane: Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager or media personality that was a part of our yesterday.

Do you remember Phillies catcher Bo Diaz? He was tragically killed in November 190 when a satellite dish he tried to install fell on him and crushed his head and neck in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela.

Diaz came to the Phillies from the Indians after 1981 season in a three-way trade that sent outfielder Lonnie Smith to the Cardinals. In four years with the Phillies, Diaz hit .256 with 36 homers in 333 games. He was traded to the Reds in August 1985 for shortstop Tom Foley and catcher Alan Knicely. Diaz was an all-star with Cleveland in 1981 and with Cincinnati in 1987.

Feedback: Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com.