Longtime Oriole Hendricks dies at 64

Longtime Oriole Hendricks dies at 64
Beloved Baltimore coach, player suffers heart attack

By Jeff Seidel / Special to MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- Longtime Oriole Elrod Hendricks died of a heart attack on Wednesday, one day before his 65th birthday.
With the exception of stints with the Cubs in 1972 and the Yankees in 1976 and 1977, Hendricks had been with the Orioles in some form since 1968. He played for the team in a few stints from 1968 to 1979. He was named the team's bullpen coach after the 1977 season and stayed there until the Orioles announced after this season that he would be reassigned.

Hendricks spent a total of 37 years with the Orioles as a player and coach. He missed 18 games this past season after suffering a mild stroke in April when the Orioles were in Tampa. But he returned and coached for the rest of the season.

The Orioles were reportedly concerned about the effects of another full season of travel on Hendricks and decided to reassign him. As he had done for several years, Hendricks served as Santa Claus at the team's annual Christmas party for underprivileged children on Monday. At the event, he said he wasn't sure what his role was going to be next year.

"I don't know; I have not been told," Hendricks said. "I did speak to [executive vice president of baseball operations] Mike [Flanagan] about a month ago about what I would like to do. But nothing so far. It's still in review."

Hendricks was well-known for how generous he was with his time in the community -- especially when it came to children. He ran one of the Baltimore area's most popular and well-respected baseball camps every summer, always getting big names to pop in and talk to and work with children. And the kids just loved it.

He was one of the organization's most recognizable faces and loved being with kids and making them smile. He sat for a long time on Monday at the party, letting children perch themselves on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. There were about 100 children and they all got pictures of sitting with Santa and smiling.

"It's a joy to watch the faces, the smiles, watching them open the gifts," Hendricks said. "It's a warm feeling."

Washington manager Frank Robinson was saddened by the news of Hendricks' passing. The two had been longtime friends and played and worked together.

"Elrod was a friend to a lot of people," Robinson said. "He was a great ambassador for baseball in the Baltimore-Washington area and a great ambassador for the Orioles. He was a smart individual. He helped a lot of baseball players."

Jeff Seidel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Frank Robinson's tribute to Elrod Hendricks

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12/22/2005 1:40 AM ET
Robinson pays tribute to Hendricks
Nationals manager saddened to learn of friend's passing
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

It was obvious to everyone who went to Spring Training that Nationals manager Frank Robinson and Elrod Hendricks were great friends.
Every time the Nationals/Expos finished playing the Orioles in an exhibition game in Florida, Robinson, who would normally go straight to his office to talk to the media, always walked across the diamond to talk to Hendricks, who was the Orioles' longtime bullpen coach. The conversation would last about 10 minutes before Robinson met with the media.

On Wednesday night, Robinson was saddened to learn that Hendricks, who worked for the Orioles for almost 40 years, died of a heart attack, just one day shy of his 65th birthday.

"Elrod was a friend to a lot of people," Robinson told MLB.com late Wednesday night. "He was a great ambassador for baseball in the Baltimore/Washington area and a great ambassador for the Orioles. He was a smart individual. He helped a lot of baseball players. I want to send my condolences to his wife and his boys. You can't say enough about him."

The last time Robinson and Hendricks spoke to each other was during the 2005 season after Hendricks recovered from a minor stroke. Robinson called Hendricks to see how he was doing.

Hendricks and Robinson were Orioles teammates from 1968 to 1971. Together, they won three pennants and one World Series. Robinson first met Hendricks during Spring Training of '68. Hendricks had the reputation of being the Babe Ruth of the Mexican League, but Robinson didn't believe Hendricks' reputation after looking at the latter's frame.

"They pointed him out and I said, 'No way. He's scrawny. He's not a home run hitter. He didn't hit 40-something home runs the year before,'" Robinson said.

Hendricks didn't put up Ruthian numbers in his 12 years as a big leaguer, but he turned out to be one of the better catchers in the game and a favorite of many Orioles pitchers, including Mike Cuellar and Jim Palmer.

"Nobody could throw a fastball by [Hendricks] and he used a heavy bat," Robinson said. "He was a tremendous teammate. He was always trying to do something to help, whether it was hitting, pitching or catching. He didn't step on people's toes. He was a real competitor. ... He was a take-charge guy when he was around the plate."

Hendricks also was a bullpen coach under Robinson, who managed the Orioles from 1988 to 1991. Robinson regrets that he never gave Hendricks a better role on his coaching staff. But Hendricks took his time making a decision on what role he wanted to play under Robinson.

"After I changed the coaching staff after the '88 season, I really wanted him to step up and get out of the bullpen," Robinson recalled. "I offered him any job that he wanted except being a hitting coach. He said, 'Wherever you want me to be.' He gave me that same answer three different times. At that time, I was a little upset with him, because I wanted him to make a decision. He didn't do it, so I said, 'OK, stay down in the bullpen.' He said, 'OK.' He was a tremendous help to me when I managed in Baltimore."

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.