Don Robbs is 76 years old, yet these days find him driven to get in shape for a University of Hawaii baseball season opener five months hence.

In this task he is as determined as any walk-on candidate for a UH roster spot a quarter of his age.

After 37 years of being the only regular radio voice Rainbow baseball has had, Robbs is willing himself, through dint of hard work and force of personality, that there be a 38th come Feb. 14, 2014.

If it was a job he held precious before, then 33 days in the hospital recovering from quintuple bypass surgery and a stroke this summer have provided an even deeper appreciation.

"I’m lucky to be alive," Robbs said. "I’m just grateful to be here."

Except for circumstance that brought him to the front door of his cardiologist’s office, instead of being on an airplane or traveling on his annual summer ritual baseball tour of Japan, "I wouldn’t be here right now," Robbs acknowledged.

When he went to see his cardiologist in late July for a scheduled stress test, "I walked into the office and they said, ‘How are you?’ " Robbs recalled. "I said, ‘Not good’ and they took a look at me and agreed right away."

What Robbs said they found were five arteries with significant blockage. But while undergoing open heart surgery "the general consensus is the surgery caused the stroke. And, then, that caused a series of breakdowns of some other functions, so I had multiple medical issues facing me at the same time," Robbs said.

"Basically, my month of August sucked."

Scott Robbs said his father "is getting better every day," but while "most things have come back, he doesn’t have complete mobility in his right foot, yet."

So, after approximately 2,265 UH games behind the microphone, missing just a handful since 1977, Robbs inches his way toward the prospect of more with each lap through the Windward Mall on his walker and each rehab session. The goal in front of him is to be at Les Murakami Stadium to call the first pitch when UH and Oregon play.

"My doctors say that is an achievable goal," Robbs said. "They are encouraging me."

So, too, are a legion of friends, fans and UH coach Mike Trapasso. "We’re going to see that it happens," Trapasso pledged.

Trapasso has already talked to UH officials about trying to find a way to accommodate Robbs since the stadium elevator stops a floor below the press box, leaving a series of steep steps that would still have to be negotiated.

"The main thing, right now, is that it is good to hear his voice and how upbeat he sounds," Trapasso said. "I sent him a text Wednesday and told him I just finalized a series at Louisiana State in 2017. Then, he texted me back saying, ‘2017? I’m not even buying green bananas.’ So, he definitely has that sense of humor intact."

Trapasso said, "I told him, ‘just plan on being out here on opening night 2014, Valentine’s Day.’ "

A fitting date for a man for whom UH baseball has been one of the enduring loves of his life.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.