So was Billy Williams, the Hall of Fame slugger and another Cub who never made it to the World Series in Chicago.

Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame slugger who managed Ripken for four years, said: "Whether it should be that way or not, it is what this has come to.

The legal dispute began after Williams, the Hall of Fame slugger for the Boston Red Sox, died July 5.

"I'll enforce it," said Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame slugger and former manager who is now a special assistant to Bud Selig, the acting commissioner.

Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame slugger and first black manager, about to turn 70, is goading Washington in the wild-card race.

He respects the Hall of Fame slugger and it would probably create a new spate of Reggie-George stories to dominate the news.

Henry Aaron, the Hall of Fame slugger, is the vice president and director of player development for the Atlanta Braves.

The Hall of Fame slugger characterized the game between the Yankees and the Rockies as sad and the state of baseball just as troubling.

So does the notion that no player will ever approach .400 again, said Frank Robinson, the Hall of Fame slugger now managing Washington.

Ted Williams, the Hall of Fame slugger, briefly managed the Washington Senators but was never much of a success, in part because he just couldn't handle a pitching staff.