Roberto Clemente – A Great Player and a Better Person

A lot of people remember Roberto Clemente as being one of the all time great players in baseball, not just an all time great on the Pirates. During his 18 year playing career, Clemente produced a .317/.359/.475 batting line with 240 home runs and exactly 3000 hits. His on the field exploits earned Clemente twelve All-Star Game appearances, twelve consecutive Gold Glove awards and an MVP award in 1966. It is easy to see why Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame after his playing career ended.

Unfortunately, that career ended tragically. Forty two years ago, on December 23, a major earthquake struck Nicaragua. Clemente, as one of the most notable players in Puerto Rico, as well as a player noted for his charity in the offseason, and having just been in Nicaragua to manage Puerto Rico’s entry in the Amateur World Series, became the face of the relief program. Instead of being just a celebrity figurehead, Clemente became the leader of the effort, working with the volunteers to help get those needed supplies to Nicaragua.

Four loads of supplies were sent to Nicaragua between Deember 28th and December 30th, but on the 30th, Roberto Clemente received reports that the supplies were not going to those in need. Anastasio Somoza’s National Guard was handling shipments from the United States and Puerto Rico, and givent he corrupt nature of his regime, those supplies were, unsurprisingly, being used for his own purposes instead of helping those in need.

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Clemente, being the leader that he was, became determined to make sure those supplies reached those who needed them. Originally slated to be on that first relief flight, Clemente would no longer be kept away by his advisors. Instead, he boarded the flight taking off on December 31st, making certain that those badly needed supplies would reach those who were truly in need.

However, Roberto Clemente and those supplies never reached Nicaragua. The aircraft, a DC-7 that had a history of being plagued by mechanical issues and was overloaded by 4200 pounds, crashed into the ocean just after takeoff. Only the body of the pilot an part of the fuselage of the airplane were located; Clemente’s remains were never recovered. All they was found of his was an empty flight case. Every member of the Pirates attended his funeral except for Manny Sanguillen – he spent that time diving at the scene of the crash trying to find Clemente’s body.

These days, Clemente is best known for his exploits on the field. However, his spirit of generosity and compassion continue to live on. The MLB had created an award given to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team” back in 1971; in 1973, it was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award. It is a fitting honor to a man who, throughout his entire life, believed in charity and selflessness.

Today, on the anniversary of  Roberto Clemente’s death, let us not remember him just for the ballplayer he was, but for the person he was as well.