BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Frank Robinson

Five years ago, Frank Robinson stepped up in the firestorm of Reds CEO Marge Schott's alleged racial comments and urged Major League Baseball to increase minority hiring.

Robinson, then the Orioles' assistant general manager, didn't criticize Schott. Instead, he said he loved Cincinnati and the fans and noted the problem was all through MLB.

And in returning May 22 to see his No. 20 retired by the Reds, the outspoken Robinson, the game's first black manager, said Schott's ownership was no factor in his decision.

''If it had been a problem, I would have said so and that would have been it,'' said Robinson, now a consultant to MLB. ''I speak when I think something should be said. I don't hold back. It's probably hurt me in the past, but that's the way I've always been.''

With Schott suspended, Reds Managing Executive John Allen made the call to retire Robinson's number. He said it was a day-to-day function in which he had to consult with the National League but not Schott.

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