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determined to make his dream come true. “It was something In addition to major projects, Robbie is always around to take
to get the ball rolling,” Robbie said of his master plan, and after care of the little things too. He helps get the field ready before
a few years of collecting Robbie had collected approximately every home game and before Anglers youth baseball clinics,
$3,000, a surprise to everyone other than himself. he is onsite for any electrical, water, or other utility work, he’s
always available to help with food or beverage deliveries, and
A Cape Cod Chronicle story spread the word of Robbie’s on game nights he’s always the first person West calls when
herculean achievement and upon seeing the article several anything goes wrong at Veterans Field.
individuals then made significant donations to
double the Gator funding total to about $6,000,
putting Robbie on the doorstep of getting his
Gator. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long,
a John Deere board member with a Chatham
home had seen the Chronicle story and she
contacted West, telling him that John Deere
would provide the Gator to the Anglers at their
production cost, which was exactly the $6,000
that Robbie had raised.

To this day, the Gator is an integral part of the
Veterans Field equipment. The acquisition
was due to Robbie’s hours of diligent recycling
efforts, where he achieved a seemingly
impossible goal. “The Gator is one of many of
Robbie’s gifts to our organization,” West said.
“We only had a golf cart before, and he knew
we needed something better, which he made a
reality. It’s an incredible story.”
Robbie’s support system is vast and extends
throughout the Chatham community, which
is how how he met Diane Donahue, one of his closest friends.
Donahue is a Chatham based realtor and avid Anglers fan, who Players each year gravitate to Robbie, often talking about a
met Robbie around 2005. They immediately connected, often variety of topics including golf, fishing, NASCAR and sometimes
sitting together at games over the years. After Robbie’s mom just life on the Cape. Robbie’s approachability makes him a
passed Donahue helped fill her void, becoming a surrogate timeless figure who connects with the players and coaches each
mom as Robbie adjusted to living alone. year. One of Robbie’s favorite Angler moments each season is
having the players dump water on him as the season draws to
Donahue bumped into Robbie soon after he’d found out about an end, an activity that shows the close bond between he and
the Ebbett Award and Robbie was excited to spill the good the players.
news. “You have to come to the Hall of Fame this year,” Robbie
told Donahue. “Why?” she asked. “Because I’m getting an Robbie’s been with the Anglers for one championship:
award,” Robbie answered with tears of joy in his eyes, proud to 1998, Chatham’s last CCBL title. He still holds on tight to
share the accomplishment with his motherly figure. his championship ring, it’s a prideful symbol for him. The
organization has even created a photo poster of Robbie’s ring
Robbie gravitates toward family. He values the relationships he to serve as inspiration to the team to end the Anglers long
forges with people more than anything else in life, even more championship drought.
than his yearly trips to the Daytona 500. The strong kinships he’s
built in Chatham resemble a real family atmosphere. A mother In summary, Robbie is the lifeblood of the Chatham Anglers. His
figure in Donahue, two great friends in Schiffner and Fincher, warm and refreshing infectious personality spans a countless
and a brother figure in West. These relationships help him number of A’s players and coaches who’ve experienced his
base much of his livelihood around the Anglers organization. authenticity over 30+ years. Robbie’s run as the organizations’
And Robbie’s dedication to the Chatham A’s — his family — is devoted Veterans Field guardian, and all that he’s accomplished
abundantly clear. over his tenure, are eternally etched in Anglers lore. While he
may not pitch, hit, field or manage, and he doesn’t even have
West said Robbie being onsite year-round makes him invaluable a number, West says “there’s no doubt, Veterans Field wouldn’t
in overseeing major Veterans Field construction projects, be the same without Robbie, he’s Chatham’s caretaker, and if
because those projects generally occur during the offseason there’s an off-the-field Hall of Fame, he’d be at the top of my list”.
when West and others are often away from Chatham. Robbie’s
oversight helped ensure everything went smoothly during the
half-million dollar 2019 bleacher replacement project and with Above is an abridged & edited version of a Cooper Andrews story from July 2024.
the similarly extensive 2014 lighting replacement project.

2025 CHATHAM ANGLERS YEARBOOK 11