RIP Paul Blair, 69

BALTIMORE (A.P.) -- Paul Blair, the eight-time Gold Glove center fielder who helped the Baltimore Orioles win a pair of World Series while gliding to make catches that former teammates still marvel at more than four decades later, has died. He was 69.

A member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, the popular Paul Blair patrolled the outfield from 1964 to 1976, playing key parts when Baltimore won its first two World Series crowns in 1966 and 1970. He won two more titles with the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978, and also played for Cincinnati.

In an era before highlight reels were a daily staple on TV, Blair frequently made catches that became the talk of baseball. Thin and quick, he played with flair -- at the end of an inning, he would tuck his glove up against his chest for a regal trot back to the dugout.

"He played very shallow. People talked about how Willie Mays played shallow, and Paul did the same thing. He played with assuredness," Don Buford, an All-Star left fielder who played alongside Blair for five seasons in Baltimore, told The Associated Press late Thursday night.

MORE: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10198794/paul-blair-former-baltimore-orioles-great-dies-age-69

Robinson, Blair, Buford … what an outfield!