What Roberto Clemente’s Death Still Says To Us 45 Years Later

The Federalist ^ | 01/01/2018 | David Marcus

[stylin19a]

same here. I was at a game when Clemente came in to catch a pop fly there was no way he could get to.
He faked that it was an easy catch, let the ball bounce in front of him and forced the runner on first base out at 2nd.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I was in grade school. The nuns all cried.

[mak5]

And Jan Hutchins, announcer at Channel 11 in Pittsburgh (were they WIIC or WPXI then?) lost his job after coming on immediately after the game and starting his broadcast with “What a sh*tty way to lose”.

[Alberta's Child]

There's one part of this story that doesn't get much attention at all. Clemente wasn't directly involved in the delivery of relief supplies to Nicaragua after that earthquake. He was directing the relief efforts from Puerto Rico.

He only got on the plane for that last flight because word had gotten back to him that crooked figures in the Nicaraguan government and military had been stealing all of the supplies that had previously been sent -- and he wanted to ensure that the supplies were getting to the people who needed them.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

I will NEVER forget that New Years Day. We were watching the news reports of his passing when an Army officer and Chaplin knocked on our door and told my parents that my sister had been murdered on the Army base in Wiesbaden West Germany.

Sixteen weeks later my father was killed by a drunk driver.

Then the Reds lost to the Mets in the playoffs.

1973 sucked for me.

[Tallguy]

Saw the Giants come into Connie Mack when I was a kid. The Giants outfield put on an exhibition at the end of pre-game warmup where they’d take flyback an throw to the plate. They put a drywall bucket atop the plate and Mays, McCovey were drilling it on the hop and sometimes in the air. Message sent to Phillies: “Don’t even think about scoring from 2nd base.”

Most effective intimidation I ever saw.

[mjp]

He can be spoken of in the same breath as Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays and had the pedigree and championships to back it up.

Total Baseball says not even close. sheesh

[Buckeye McFrog]

One of countless examples of why WIIC/WPXI was long the joke of the TV news business.

[Verginius Rufus]

I also remember what I was doing when his death was reported. I was visiting my grandparents and talking to my grandmother who had the radio on (they did not own a TV). When the announcement was made my grandmother asked me who that was and I told her that it was a baseball player. She shrugged as if it was of no interest to her. I thought of trying to explain he was there helping the earthquake victims but decided not to.

[SMGFan]

Sorry to read about the murder. Was the killer caught , convicted? I see you were so young when you lost family.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

My favorite all-time player. If he had played in a big media market, he would be considered one of the all-time greatest. If he had played most of his career someplace other than Forbes Field he would have a lot more career homers.

I can still picture him, twitching in the far back of the batter’s box like he’s about to fall apart, then roping a low outside pitch into the gap. Also sliding into a catch in right field, popping up and firing a laser to home.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

The killer committed suicide as the cops closed in on him. Gutless punk.