Brian Roberts battles through concussion, stages great return to Orioles after 13-month absence

For obvious reasons (at least to me), the mere mention of Brian Roberts' name has always made me think of that Phish song "Brian and Robert." It's a soft and oversentimental song about isolation and loneliness and yet the two title names always reminded me of the doubles-making machine who manned second base for the Baltimore Orioles.

The strange and sad part is that the song's lyrics actually took on some application for Roberts' life once he suffered a concussion on May 16, 2011 that not only threatened his baseball career, but also the overall quality of his daily life. The 34-year-old told MLB.com that he experienced a lot of fear after suffering the concussion and that it seemed like his 13 months away from the diamond really lasted about five years.

The great news is that Roberts was able to wipe away that fear (and any melancholic and hacky musical connotations) by returning to the field on Tuesday night. Returning to his usual leadoff spot, Roberts went 3 for 4 with one RBI to help the O's to an 8-6 win over Pittsburgh.

Roberts received a big ovation from the Camden Yards crowd before his at-bat and said the night went so well he didn't even mind getting a postgame pie in the face.

From MLB.com: (more...)