Leftover nominations for breakfast

After offering a partial list of athletes who would interest me in a 10-part documentary, I wanted to pile on by including an obvious choice. One that must be near or at the top.

Hank Aaron would be an incredible watch.

Also a difficult one, given the ugliness that followed his pursuit of the all-time home run record. But racism isn't supposed to be comfortable.

Aaron has shown a willingness in the past to share his experiences, the stacks of hateful mail with threats and harassment that became a part of his everyday life while a nation watched and joined in counting down to No. 714.

But again, we'd have to pretend that there's the same behind-the-scenes footage and access that elevated the Michael Jordan documentary.

A fan on the blog suggested Frank Robinson as another outstanding subject and I totally agree.

His playing days and the misguided notion in Cincinnati that he was too old. How he transformed the Orioles into winners. How he led the Kangaroo Court.

How he never seemed to get the proper recognition, despite being in the Hall of Fame.

Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and others are mentioned before Robinson, who won the Triple Crown in 1966 and was named Most Valuable Player in both leagues.

Anyone want to compile a list of players who achieved that feat? It won't take long.

Robinson also was the major's first African American manager. That should cover at least two parts. And give me all you've got on how he replaced Cal Ripken Sr. as manager in 1988 after only six games, which created an incredibly awkward clubhouse situation with Cal and Billy, and the '89 "Why Not?" team.

His death in February 2019 leaves us to rely on past interviews. The Jordan documentary, meanwhile, was enhanced by his reactions to comments made by past teammates and rivals, along with his version of certain events.

The pizza story was a slice of heaven.

* In the land of forgotten Orioles, outfielder Luis Polonia could be king.

Prior to doing some research on the 1996 season, I had blocked out all memories of Polonia's 58-game stint with the club. I wasn't on the beat except for playoff coverage and Polonia was long gone, with the Orioles releasing him on Aug. 12.

Polonia signed a minor league deal on April 19 and reported to Triple-A Rochester. He didn't appear in his first game with the Orioles until May 12 in Milwaukee.

General manager Pat Gillick heard from Polonia's agent in the offseason and had no interest in the outfielder. Polonia signed with the Mariners, was released and eventually came to the Orioles.

How did Polonia do with the Orioles? He slashed .240/.285/.309 in 187 plate appearances on a team that was loaded.

There were three three-hit games for Polonia and a four-hit game on June 4 against the Tigers. How could I forget?

The Braves signed Polonia on Aug. 17 and he went a combined 0-for-10 in the postseason. They reached the World Series and lost to the Yankees in six games.

The Orioles set a major league record that season with 257 home runs. Four players had more than 100 RBIs, led by Rafael Palmeiro with 142.

Gillick was a busy man. He signed second baseman Roberto Alomar, outfielder B.J. Surhoff and closer Randy Myers in the offseason and traded for starter David Wells and outfielder Tony Tarasco. He traded for third baseman Todd Zeile and outfielder Pete Incaviglia on Aug. 29.

The Orioles beat the Indians in the American League Division Series and lost to the Yankees in the AL Championship Series. Tarasco hasn't forgotten.

Ownership nixed multiple trade proposals involving Bonilla and Wells while the Orioles were struggling to stay in playoff contention. They were 4 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the wild card race as the deadline approached.

Managing partner Peter Angelos didn't want to concede the season and also cited fans who already invested in the team.

One deal would have sent Wells to the Mariners for a minor league package that included catching prospect Chris Widger, who became a journeyman with a career .238/.296/.393 slash line in 10 seasons with six clubs. Infielder Desi Relaford also would have gone to the Orioles, per a report from The Baltimore Sun's Buster Olney.

Widger never made it back to the majors after appearing in nine games with, yes, the Orioles in 2006. They signed him in August after the White Sox released him.

The Orioles finally got their man, long after Gillick and assistant GM Kevin Malone were gone.

I stumbled upon some sad recent news on Polonia while checking his bio. His 27-year-old son, Rodney, a former minor league player in the Pirates and Rockies systems, died of a heart attack on May 8.

Today's question: Who was your favorite Oriole growing up who was more role player than star?

We're eliminating guys like Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken Jr. Give me a piece rather than an icon.

While Paul Blair was my favorite as a kid, and he doesn't count in this exercise, I'll toss some love at Enos Cabell. I'm not sure why. Maybe because his name was Enos.

Terry Crowley also was a favorite because I considered him to be the greatest pinch-hitter in history. And John Lowenstein for pure entertainment value.

Today's question (non-sports edition): What's your favorite concert moment? Something that happened on the stage rather than later in the parking lot that's always stuck with you.

Mine comes from the Rolling Stone's "Steel Wheels Tour" in 1989 at RFK Stadium. Mick Jagger disappears during a long instrumental. The stage is filled with smoke. Suddenly, a spotlight shines on a tall speaker and captures Jagger standing on top of it. He's dressed all in red - jacket, pants, shirt. And he begins to sing, "Please allow me to introduce myself ..."

Coolest moment ever.