Birthday remembrance today: Roberto Clemente would have been 83.

[fairgambit]

I had the honor of watching Roberto play baseball for 18 years. I was in the stands on the day he got his 3,000th hit. I wept when I heard he died in a plane crash in route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was a great player and an even better man. May he Rest in Peace.

''Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.'' Roberto Clemente

"Roberto Clemente could field the ball in New York and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania." Broadcaster Vin Scully

 

[Norm Petersin]

The great one, and the greatest right fielder of all time. Flat out.

 

[royboy]

A great article on Roberto, from Sports Illustrated, 20 years after his death

https://www.si.com/vault/1992/12/28...mortalized-him-as-a-man-greater-than-his-game

December 31: ¡Arriba Roberto!
On New Year's Eve in 1972, Roberto Clemente undertook a mission of mercy. His death that night immortalized him as a man greater than his game

 

[fairgambit]

A great article on Roberto, from Sports Illustrated, 20 years after his death

https://www.si.com/vault/1992/12/28...mortalized-him-as-a-man-greater-than-his-game

December 31: ¡Arriba Roberto!
On New Year's Eve in 1972, Roberto Clemente undertook a mission of mercy. His death that night immortalized him as a man greater than his game

Excellent royboy. Thanks.

 

[fairgambit]

Sad trivia question: Who was the only Pirate teammate that did not attend the memorial service for Roberto after his death?

Answer: Manny Sanguillen, who instead traveled to Puerto Rico to dive into the waters where Roberto's plane crashed in an effort to recover his body, which was never found.

 

[nittany dave]

Never forget my mom waking me up on New Year's Day 1973, and telling me Clemente was dead. I was 14. Worst way to begin a New Year ever. Great ballplayer, an even greater human being!

 

[nits74]

Never forget my mom waking me up on New Year's Day 1973, and telling me Clemente was dead. I was 14. Worst way to begin a New Year ever. Great ballplayer, an even greater human being!

Dave, I was at the Sugar Bowl that year vs. Oklahoma. Lost 14-0. Steelers had lost to Miami in the playoffs earlier in the day. On the bus back to the hotel, I was trying to make light of the day we had and said to my friends that we'll probably hear that Clemente died or something. Early the next morning a close friend of mine from Philadelphia was beating on our hotel door at 6:00 the next morning and told me to turn on the radio and that Roberto had been killed. We were stunned. The next evening my parents picked me up at the airport and took the long way home so that we could go through town and I could see Three Rivers lighted and the Alcoa sign on Mt. Washington, which said only Adios Amigo. Broke down after seeing that. Never have cracked jokes like that again.

 

[fairgambit]

Dave, I was at the Sugar Bowl that year vs. Oklahoma. Lost 14-0. Steelers had lost to Miami in the playoffs earlier in the day. On the bus back to the hotel, I was trying to make light of the day we had and said to my friends that we'll probably hear that Clemente died or something. Early the next morning a close friend of mine from Philadelphia was beating on our hotel door at 6:00 the next morning and told me to turn on the radio and that Roberto had been killed. We were stunned. The next evening my parents picked me up at the airport and took the long way home so that we could go through town and I could see Three Rivers lighted and the Alcoa sign on Mt. Washington, which said only Adios Amigo. Broke down after seeing that. Never have cracked jokes like that again.

What an incredibly sad coincidence.

 

[nits74]

Sad trivia question: Who was the only Pirate teammate that did not attend the memorial service for Roberto after his death?

Answer: Manny Sanguillen, who instead traveled to Puerto Rico to dive into the waters where Roberto's plane crashed in an effort to recover his body, which was never found.

Fair, I remember going to the emotional home opener against St. Louis the following April. Bucs came back from a 5-0 deficit to win, 6-5 The final out was a fly ball to right, caught by Sanguillen. One of the more poignant moments in Pirate baseball that I can remember.

 

[LeatherHelmets]

Never forget my mom waking me up on New Year's Day 1973, and telling me Clemente was dead. I was 14. Worst way to begin a New Year ever. Great ballplayer, an even greater human being!

The same thing for me that morning as my Mom woke up my brother and me when I was 13 and he was 12. For days we all hoped that somehow they would find him alive, floating on some debris or on the beach in Nicaragua. He was and still is a hero to me. As Royboy said, above, "Arriba Roberto!"

We used to get "Knothole" tickets at Forbes Field which put us watching Roberto from behind the screen in right field, . I wouldn't have traded those seats for any box seats.

 

[nits74]

The same thing for me that morning as my Mom woke up my brother and me when I was 13 and he was 12. For days we all hoped that somehow they would find him alive, floating on some debris or on the beach in Nicaragua. He was and still is a hero to me. As Royboy said, above, "Arriba Roberto!"

We used to get "Knothole" tickets at Forbes Field which put us watching Roberto from behind the screen in right field, . I wouldn't have traded those seats for any box ."

Great memories, were they not? "That's when a sport was a sport."

 

[AvgUser]

Two birthdays I always remember without looking them up

1. Roberto Clemente, August 18. My boyhood idol. I too shed a tear when i heard he was killed

2. Willie Stargell March 6.

 

[Roar More]

All Pittsburghers of a certain age knew that when he started complaining about his health, he was about to go on a hitting streak. Loved it when he stepped to the plate and started cranking his neck like he was trying to get the kinks out.

 

[delcoLion]

I had the honor of watching Roberto play baseball for 18 years. I was in the stands on the day he got his 3,000th hit. I wept when I heard he died in a plane crash in route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was a great player and an even better man. May he Rest in Peace.

''Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.'' Roberto Clemente

"Roberto Clemente could field the ball in New York and throw out a guy in Pennsylvania." Broadcaster Vin Scully

View embedded media

View embedded media

Fair -

I'm a die-hard Phillies fan but I want to tell you a story. My brother and I went up to Connie Mack stadium for a twilight night doubleheader vs the Pirates, might have been around 1964 or 65. We go early to see batting & fielding practice and RC was throwing laser beams to 2nd, 3rd & home. It was a spectacular exhibition of arm strength that I don't think I've seen anything close to it in more than 50 years since.

It's hell to get old but we saw the truly great players back then, IMHO.

 

[fairgambit]

Great memories, were they not? "That's when a sport was a sport."

It was a magical time in baseball, where it was more about the game than bobbleheads, and fireworks, and Cucumber Sandwiches. Ah, then again, maybe I'm just an old coot who "thinks" everything in my youth was golden. No. Not so. It actually was golden.

 

[doublehaul]

It was a golden time Fair, cause most players stayed with teams for years No free agency. Fans had a bond with the teams and players and vice versa. Not quite the same today in most sports.

 

[fairgambit]

It was a golden time Fair, cause most players stayed with teams for years No free agency. Fans had a bond with the teams and players and vice versa. Not quite the same today in most sports.

Very true. Trades were made, but the Pirates could hold on to guys like Clemente and Mazeroski. Today I don't see any way a team like the Pirates could keep Roberto for 18 years. The players made less but it was a more fan friendly time.

 

[artsandletters]

I know it drove him crazy but I always like how the Gunner called him "Bobby" in an indearing manner

My baseball card said Bob Clemente.

 

[CF LION]

I was 10 when Roberto died. I woke up on New Years Day to find my mom crying in the kitchen. Only time I ever saw her cry for something other than the loss of a loved one.

 

[Carl Spackler]

An amazing man in so many ways. An inspiration to all who knew him and knew of him. Arguably one of the best all around ball players in history. He could do it all. If McCutch is a five tool player then Roberto was a 10 tool player and better yet a remarkable man not taking away from McCutch.

 

[fairgambit]

An amazing man in so many ways. An inspiration to all who knew him and knew of him. Arguably one of the best all around ball players in history. He could do it all. If McCutch is a five tool player then Roberto was a 10 tool player and better yet a remarkable man not taking away from McCutch.

I like Cutch, but he is not a great defensive player. He has 1 Gold Glove Award, which most experts agree he did not deserve. Roberto won 12, which ties him with Willie Mays for the most ever.

 

[mrtailgate]

It was a golden time Fair, cause most players stayed with teams for years No free agency. Fans had a bond with the teams and players and vice versa. Not quite the same today in most sports.

I understand what you're saying but the biggest point for me was that these guys were regular people. Many of the players had to work in the offseason. There was a great article in the Philly paper one day detailing the writer as a young lad going out to purchase a Christmas tree. The writer remembers the person selling the tree having a strange accent. Turned out he was one of the Phillies who lived locally in the off season. The player sold Xmas trees to make extra money. I used to see many of the Phillies in the grocery store as a kid, players including Robin Roberts, Bill White, Johnny Callison, and Curt Simmons. Today these guys largely live in gated communities. The players today might as well live on a different planet, they have very little in common with us now.

 

[PSU-CPA]

Tragic day. I was still depressed from the Steelers losing on 12-31-72 to the Dolphins in the AFC Champintinship game 21-17. (Still think the Steelers win that game if Bradshaw doesn't get the concussion. Everyone talks about the fake punt, but Bradshaw missing two quarters was more damning).

Anyways, when I woke up, my mother told me Roberto died, I was 11. I watched the news everyday for a week hoping he would be found on an Island. I was a huge Pirate fan. I could not enjoy baseball for a few years after that without Roberto.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I understand what you're saying but the biggest point for me was that these guys were regular people. Many of the players had to work in the offseason. There was a great article in the Philly paper one day detailing the writer as a young lad going out to purchase a Christmas tree. The writer remembers the person selling the tree having a strange accent. Turned out he was one of the Phillies who lived locally in the off season. The player sold Xmas trees to make extra money. I used to see many of the Phillies in the grocery store as a kid, players including Robin Roberts, Bill White, Johnny Callison, and Curt Simmons. Today these guys largely live in gated communities. The players today might as well live on a different planet, they have very little in common with us now.

I agree with this in totality. The ball layers of yesteryear made some nice coin but they needed to supplement it. The primary avenue was to sell cars, insurance, etc. using their celebrity status as a means of selling. This required that they interact with the working folk and selling requires humility in many cases to be successful. This is why I always address you as "Mister mrtailgate".

 

[fairgambit]

I agree with this in totality. The ball layers of yesteryear made some nice coin but they needed to supplement it. The primary avenue was to sell cars, insurance, etc. using their celebrity status as a means of selling. This required that they interact with the working folk and selling requires humility in many cases to be successful. This is why I always address you as "Mister mrtailgate".

In 1959 Elroy Face went 18-1 as a relief pitcher, but still worked as a carpenter in the off season and continued that trade after he retired.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

Richie Hebner dug graves to supplement his income...
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b688dfa3

 

[denniskembala]

I saw Roberto peg a ball from right field into the shoulder blades of a runner taking second. He could have thrown him out but was giving him a warning. The guy went down like he was hit by a .458 magnum.

 

[lionlurker]

He could probably still today throw out the runner from third, from deep in right field.

 

[nits74]

I understand what you're saying but the biggest point for me was that these guys were regular people. Many of the players had to work in the offseason. There was a great article in the Philly paper one day detailing the writer as a young lad going out to purchase a Christmas tree. The writer remembers the person selling the tree having a strange accent. Turned out he was one of the Phillies who lived locally in the off season. The player sold Xmas trees to make extra money. I used to see many of the Phillies in the grocery store as a kid, players including Robin Roberts, Bill White, Johnny Callison, and Curt Simmons. Today these guys largely live in gated communities. The players today might as well live on a different planet, they have very little in common with us now.

Yeah, this is why in that era the departure of the Dodgers to LA ripped the heart out Brooklyn. Used to hear stories as to how fans would see players riding with them to and from games on the subway. As an aside, kudos to fairgambit for starting this thread. Love talking with the guys on this board about the golden age of baseball. I wish some of the younger guys would have had a chance to experience it. It truly was a very different and remarkable time for the game.

 

[fairgambit]

Yeah, this is why in that era the departure of the Dodgers to LA ripped the heart out Brooklyn. Used to hear stories as to how fans would see players riding with them to and from games on the subway. As an aside, kudos to fairgambit for starting this thread. Love talking with the guys on this board about the golden age of baseball. I wish some of the younger guys would have had a chance to experience it. It truly was a very different and remarkable time for the game.

That's a wish I also hold. I have 2 grandsons, both not yet teens, who "enjoy" the game, but don't really "love" it as I did. They have other interests, and I'm not suggesting that those interests are inferior to mine, but I really believe if they had the chance to experience the game as it was in my youth, they would love it as I did. I know some will say I'm just waxing nostalgic and the game is as good as ever but I don't see it. The player/fan connections in earlier years ran deep and baseball was an inherent part of American life. The game was actually important then. Today, it's just a backdrop for giveaways, fireworks, and stuffing your face with nachos while texting incessantly to someone in the next seat. And yes, get the hell off my lawn!

 

[denniskembala]

That's a wish I also hold. I have 2 grandsons, both not yet teens, who "enjoy" the game, but don't really "love" it as I did. They have other interests, and I'm not suggesting that those interests are inferior to mine, but I really believe if they had the chance to experience the game as it was in my youth, they would love it as I did. I know some will say I'm just waxing nostalgic and the game is as good as ever but I don't see it. The player/fan connections in earlier years ran deep and baseball was an inherent part of American life. The game was actually important then. Today, it's just a backdrop for giveaways, fireworks, and stuffing your face with nachos while texting incessantly to someone in the next seat. And yes, get the hell off my lawn!

Sandlot was a real depiction of us who grew up during the 50s and 60s. You played against the "other neighborhood boys" and relished the wins. Now, turds rule the game, juicing and other BS.

 

[fairgambit]

Sandlot was a real depiction of us who grew up during the 50s and 60s. You played against the "other neighborhood boys" and relished the wins. Now, turds rule the game, juicing and other BS.

I won't be critical of Little League, but we had none in our area and so, as you said, we played against other kids in the neighborhood. We picked teams, had our own rules (on the roof was an out if you couldn't get the ball down), and umpired our games without adults. Close calls were "OK, yet get this one, but we get the next". Occasionally tempers flared, but guys on both sides would break it up before it turned physical, and everyone shook hands, sometimes reluctantly. Afterward, we'd head to someone's house for Kool-Aid and cookies while discussing our latest baseball card acquisitions. Today my grandsons spend more than half their summer days in front of some damn computer screen.

 

[nits74]

That's a wish I also hold. I have 2 grandsons, both not yet teens, who "enjoy" the game, but don't really "love" it as I did. They have other interests, and I'm not suggesting that those interests are inferior to mine, but I really believe if they had the chance to experience the game as it was in my youth, they would love it as I did. I know some will say I'm just waxing nostalgic and the game is as good as ever but I don't see it. The player/fan connections in earlier years ran deep and baseball was an inherent part of American life. The game was actually important then. Today, it's just a backdrop for giveaways, fireworks, and stuffing your face with nachos while. texting incessantly to someone in the next seat And yes, get the hell off my lawn!

This part of American life today drives me absolutely nuts. This is why I still use only a flip phone (and reluctantly at that).

 

[RandyL]

About the only thing I can add about Roberto is that the most exciting play I ever saw in person was him hitting an inside the park home run at Forbes Field.
I think maybe it was 1961 or thereabouts.
For some reason my mother and her female friend took me and a buddy to a game.
I am sure it is the only baseball game either of them ever saw.
They were enamored of Clemente... how handsome and graceful he was.
Of course they also were impressed that the umpire kept home plate swept off and clean.

You guys have expressed much about why I loved baseball as a kid, and why I turned away from it, and all professional sports later in life.
I find myself spending as much or more time on this board as on the premium board, and enjoying it more...especially these OT threads; both for the chance to reminisce... and because they don’t denigrate into senseless arguments.
Thanks to all who participate.

 

[denniskembala]

I won't be critical of Little League, but we had none in our area and so, as you said, we played against other kids in the neighborhood. We picked teams, had our own rules (on the roof was an out if you couldn't get the ball down), and umpired our games without adults. Close calls were "OK, yet get this one, but we get the next". Occasionally tempers flared, but guys on both sides would break it up before it turned physical, and everyone shook hands, sometimes reluctantly. Afterward, we'd head to someone's house for Kool-Aid and cookies while discussing our latest baseball card acquisitions. Today my grandsons spend more than half their summer days in front of some damn computer screen.

When I played, there was "minor" league, little league, pony league, Legion ball, and "Daily News League". There was no "Tee ball". The most dreaded players were pitchers who threw hard and had no accuracy. I can still name them, their dads were coaches.

 

[Cyclingmik]

Me and my brother were nine. My dad came upstairs opened our bedroom doors and told us Clemente had died. He turned around and went back downstairs.

 

[fairgambit]

About the only thing I can add about Roberto is that the most exciting play I ever saw in person was him hitting an inside the park home run at Forbes Field.
I think maybe it was 1961 or thereabouts.
For some reason my mother and her female friend took me and a buddy to a game.
I am sure it is the only baseball game either of them ever saw.
They were enamored of Clemente... how handsome and graceful he was.
Of course they also were impressed that the umpire kept home plate swept off and clean.

You guys have expressed much about why I loved baseball as a kid, and why I turned away from it, and all professional sports later in life.
I find myself spending as much or more time on this board as on the premium board, and enjoying it more...especially these OT threads; both for the chance to reminisce... and because they don’t denigrate into senseless arguments.
Thanks to all who participate.

Nice post.
You mentioned an inside the park home run. Roberto had the only walk off inside the park grand slam in baseball history on July 25th, 1956, at Forbes Field, against the Cubs.

 

[john4psu]

I like Cutch, but he is not a great defensive player. He has 1 Gold Glove Award, which most experts agree he did not deserve. Roberto won 12, which ties him with Willie Mays for the most ever.

I don't know Fair, that year it seemed like every game I went to Cutch would make a nice sliding catch.

 

[john4psu]

That's a wish I also hold. I have 2 grandsons, both not yet teens, who "enjoy" the game, but don't really "love" it as I did. They have other interests, and I'm not suggesting that those interests are inferior to mine, but I really believe if they had the chance to experience the game as it was in my youth, they would love it as I did. I know some will say I'm just waxing nostalgic and the game is as good as ever but I don't see it. The player/fan connections in earlier years ran deep and baseball was an inherent part of American life. The game was actually important then. Today, it's just a backdrop for giveaways, fireworks, and stuffing your face with nachos while texting incessantly to someone in the next seat. And yes, get the hell off my lawn!

Back then there weren't as many distractions, i.e. cell phones in our pockets to communicate with those outside the ballpark. That was one thing I loved about baseball was when at a ballgame, I could forget about everything else going on in the world. Not so today with a cell phone in my pocket. The constant reminder and distraction is readily handy.

That is one reason I love playing golf and should get back to it, while playing I'm not thinking about anything else but enjoying and taking in my surroundings, the quiet and not hearing any cars go by, listening to the birds chirping, the warm sunshine and my next shot coming up, but first I have to find my ball in the woods.

 

[fairgambit]

Back then there weren't as many distractions, i.e. cell phones in our pockets to communicate with those outside the ballpark. That was one thing I loved about baseball was when at a ballgame, I could forget about everything else going on in the world. Not so today with a cell phone in my pocket. The constant reminder and distraction is readily handy.

That is one reason I love playing golf and should get back to it, while playing I'm not thinking about anything else but enjoying and taking in my surroundings, the quiet and not hearing any cars go by, listening to the birds chirping, the warm sunshine and my next shot coming up, but first I have to find my ball in the woods.

You're right john. We are accessible round the clock and can never really find solitide. Certainly it's a blessing in many ways, but it's also a curse. I give clients my cell phone number and if I am at ballgame, or picnic, and one calls, I will answer. In days gone by I would pick up all my messages after an event. Clients were no worse for it and I was a happier man.