1972, 1985 - Apparently if in the entertainment business, you shouldn't be flying on New Year's Eve! Thirteen years apart, the planes carrying future Hall-of-Fame Pittsburgh Pirates' outfielder, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker, to Managua, Nicaragua with aid packages for earthquake survivors (a DC-7 cargo plane), and actor/musician, Eric Hilliard Nelson (better known to the world as Ozzie and Harriet's second son, Ricky) to a New Years Day concert in Dallas, Texas (a DC-3 passenger airliner), crash, taking the lives of both men. Roberto exits at the age of only 38, while Ricky's departure takes place when he is just 45.
Roberto & Ricky
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker is born in Barrio San Anton, Carolina, Puerto Rico to Melchor Clemente (the foreman of sugar cane farm in the northeastern part of the island) and Luisa Walker on August 18, 1934. He is the youngest of seven children and raised a devout Catholic. Growing up, Clementa will work in the fields with his father and his brothers. When he isn't working, Roberto is a track & field star with Olympic aspirations ... until he discovers baseball. Attending Julio Vizcarrondo Coronado High School, while playing softball and baseball (he is a shortstop at first), his talents are so evident that at sixteen years old, he is playing for the town of Juncos in Puerto Rico's amateur baseball league, and two years later, on October 9, 1952, he signs his first professional contract to play for the Cangrejeros de Santurce ("The Crabbers"). He is starting by his second year with the team, and hits .288 as the team's leadoff batter. His arm and batting abilities immediately noticed by major league scouts in the United States, he sets off a bidding war between the Brooklyn Dodger, the New York Giants, and the Milwaukee Braves, with the Dodgers finally getting the rights to the youth's athletic talents with a contract that guarantees Clemente $5,000 a year (along with a signing bonus of $10,000, the largest the Dodgers pay out since signing Jackie Robinson). Though in love with his talents, the Dodgers decide that Clemente is not quite ready for the big time and send him off for seasoning with their minor league affiliate, the Triple-A Montreal Royals.
Crabber
The Dodgers though have made a serious mistake in sending Clemente to the minors. According to Rule 5 of Major League Baseball, any individual signing for a bonus of over $4,000, becomes available to be drafted again. Too talented to be missed by American scouts, despite the Dodgers best efforts to hide him, Clemente is noticed by Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach, Clyde Sukeforth (who is actually scouting major league pitching prospect, Joe Black). Sure enough, on November 22, 1954, the Pirates draft Clemente #1 and the Dodgers lose the chance to have one of the greatest players in major league history, a future Hall-of-Famer, on their roster. Wearing #13 for the first seven weeks of his career with the Pirates, Clemente becomes #21 (there are twenty-one letters in Roberto Clemente Walker) when outfielder Earl Smith is optioned to New Orleans of the Southern Association ... it is a number that Pittsburgh will retire in 1973. Learning to deal with the colder climes of the United States, learning English as a second language, and the racial animus that is sent his way, Roberto plays 18 seasons for the Pirates (and during the winter months, can often be found lending his talents to the Crabbers, Criollos de Caguas, and the San Juan Senadores). He also finds time to serve as a reserve in the United States Marine Corps from 1959 to 1964 (he will be a private first class, he will be inducted into the Corps Sports Hall-of-Fame in 2003), and to find the female love of his life, Vera Zabala (the pair will marry on November 16, 1964 and have three children, Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto, and Roberto Enrique).
Rookie
Private Clemente
The Clemente Family
A bad team for years, the presence of Clemente elevates baseball in Pittsburgh as he shapes eighteen years playing for the Pirates into a Hall-of-Fame resume that will include hitting the only documented walk-off, inside-the-ballpark grand slam in modern MLB history, being chosen as an MLB all-star 15 times, winning World Series championships twice (1960 and 1971), winning the National League MVP award in 1966 (by hitting .317 with 29 homeruns and 119 RBIs), being named the World Series MVP for 1971 (hitting .414 for the Series), being a Gold Glove winner for his defensive prowess in right field for twelve consecutive seasons (1961-1972, most hits in Pirates history in two consecutive games (ten) sharing the record for most wins with somebody named Willie Mays), being chosen as the National League Player-of-the-Month three times (May 1960, May 1967, and July 1969) taking the National League batting title four times (1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967), leding the National League in hits twice (1964, 1967), finishing his career batting .317, making the 3,000 hit club by hitting a double off John Matlock of the Mets on his final career at-bat, hitting 249 career homeruns, knocking in 1,305 runs, most triples in a Pirate's game (three) and tying Hall-of-Famer Honus Wagner for playing the most games as a Pirate (2,433). Sustained brilliance for almost two decades!
At Bat
Running The Bases
Golden Glove
And in the off season, along with serving in the Marine Corps reserves and playing winter ball, Clemente becomes heavily involved in charity work. When a 6.3 earthquake hits Managua, Nicaragua on December 23, 1972, devastating the country's capital city and killing approximately 5,000 individuals, Clemente uses his wealth and fame immediately to send relief supplies. Three flights of supplies sent, Roberto hears that his largesse instead of going to those impacted by the earthquake has made its way into the pockets of Nicaragua politicians, he decides to oversee his charity sendings himself. Spending $4,000 to rent a freighter converted four-engine Douglas DC-7 from the American Air Express Leasing Company of 27-year-old Puerto Rican, Arthur J. Rivera, unaware that the plane had a non-fatal taxiway accident just 29 days before, and has had inadequate inspections and fixes on its propellers and engines to repair the damages. After loading up the plane with cargo (investigators will have the plane being over-loaded by 4,200 pounds), on a dark, moonless New Year's Eve night (Sunday, 12/31/1972), at about 9:11, the plane taxis to Runway 7 for its 9:20 scheduled takeoff from Puerto Rico's Isla Verde International (visibility is 10 miles). Five people are aboard ... piloting the plane is seasoned flier Jerry Hill, in the co-pilot's seat is Arthur Rivera (though he is not certified to fly planes with Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines, such as the DC-7 he is in), mechanic Francisco Matias, moonlighting from another airline for the extra pocket change is the flight engineer (he will see the plane for the first time the day before the craft's last flight), with Clemente friend Angel Lozano (playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, Montreal Expos pitcher Tom Walker volunteers to also go on the flight, but Clemente tells him to go out News Year Eve partying instead) and Roberto in the back as passengers (despite Clemente's father, his wife, and his son, Roberto Jr. all having premonitions about the flight, as does Roberto himself who dreams a few nights before his journey that he is overlooking his own funeral). A flight scheduled to reach Managua in about four hours, the DC-7 instead crashes into the sea only a few minutes later (just a couple miles out to sea in an area near Puerto Rico's Pinones State Forest), suffering the catastrophic loss of inboard engine #2 (and perhaps the #3 engine two), and killing all five people aboard (only Hill's body will ever be found and because of bad weather, it takes searchers until January 4, 1973 to find the crash site, with wreckage strewn over four acres of ocean floor at a depth of roughly 100 to 130 feet). Clemente is only 38 at the time of his death.
DC-7
In death, Roberto's deeds in life seem to grow larger and larger year after year and as of 2022, he is the athlete that has more statues and monuments dedicated to him in the entire world, with dozens of tributes in several countries and numerous streets, schools, public parks, bridges, buildings, and sporting arenas named in honor of Pittsburgh's #21 (which will be retired by the Pirates on April 6, 1973), as of July 2018, there will even be an asteroid named in Clemente's honor. In 2012, the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League will rename itself the Liga de Beisbol Professional Roberto Clemente and #21 is retired for the entire league. Major League Baseball will waive its waiting period and vote Clemente into it's Cooperstown Hall-of-Fame on March 20, 1973, with Roberto receiving 393 votes out of 420, 92.7% (hard to believe he didn't get all 420 of the votes that were available ... because the Hall uses Roberto Walker Clemente, instead of the proper Spanish format of Roberto Clemente Walker, as of 2000, Clemente actually has two plaques in the Hall-of-Fame, the original now graces the "sandlot kids clubhouse" area, while the corrected plaque is displayed alongside the other greats of the game the hall honors). He also is inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall in 1995. And so far, the United States government has awarded Roberto it's Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Citizens Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (along with giving the baseball player a spot on one of it's postage stamps on August 17, 1984). There is even an initiative to have the Catholic Church canonize him in 2017, and in 2022, the Puerto Rican government officially declares Clemente a procer (National Hero). But maybe baseball has the best honor (in 2022, on September 15th, MLB celebrates across the league, Roberto Clemente, and everyone wears #21 ... a movement to retire the number across baseball has thus far been shut down, with the Jackie Robinson Family only wanting the honor for Jackie's 42), renaming the Commissioner's Award for outstanding play married to community service, the annual Roberto Clemente Award (some of winners have been Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, Al Kaline, Willie Stargell, Lou Brock, Pete Rose, Rod Carew, Steve Garvey, Garry Maddox, Dale Murphy, Gary Carter, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett, Sammy Sosa, Tony Gwynn, Curt Schilling, John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Clayton Kershaw, and Justin Turner).
Clemente Statue In Pittsburg
One of a kind both on the field and off ... and still missed. But don't take the stats or my word for it. Listen to what others have said about #21. From Wikipedia:
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., speaking on July 9, 1961 with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams, said "They are honoring a great one in Clemente. I have been watching his career ever since he joined the Pittsburgh club. Roberto should wind up as one of the all-time stars before he is through."
- Willie Mays, while fielding questions from reporters following the announcement of his election to the Hall of Fame on January 23, 1979, called Clemente the best player he ever saw, other than himself. Mays reiterated his assessment of Clemente on January 26, 1979, stating that, "He could do anything with a bat and in the field." Mays has repeatedly through the years stood by his statements regarding Clemente.
- Barry Bonds, speaking in 1992, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "When I’m done, I want people to say, 'He’s the best.' Right field belongs to Roberto Clemente, center field belongs to Willie Mays. I want left field to belong to me."
- Sandy Koufax, interviewed shortly after the selection of MLB's All-Century Team (from which Clemente was conspicuously absent), was asked to assess fellow honorees. Dubbing Mays the greatest player he'd ever seen and Aaron the greatest hitter, Koufax said that this "raises the question of where you put Clemente; he's right there." This is consistent with Koufax's 1965 magazine article ranking Clemente just behind Aaron at the top of his "toughest batter" list, while also emphasizing the former's immense power. "The longest ball I ever saw hit to the opposite field was hit off me by Clemente at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1961. It was a fastball on the outside corner, and he drove it out of the park – not just over the fence, he knocked it way out. I didn’t think a right-handed batter could hit it out of the field just at that point but Clemente did." Moreover, it appears that, by his own estimation, the longest blast ever yielded by Koufax in any direction was launched by Clemente at Forbes Field on May 31, 1964.
- Duke Snider wrote that "Carl Furillo was the best right fielder I ever saw until Roberto Clemente came along, and Clemente was possibly the best ballplayer I’ve ever seen. And just think that we could have had Clemente in our outfield."
- Sparky Anderson, in his eponymous 1990 memoir, writes, "Walking away… Roberto Clemente is my premier outfielder – period. I saw more of Clemente than I wanted to when I managed against him. He could hit for power when he had to. When he wanted to slap it to right, he shot the ball like a bullet. Plus, he could fly. When he hit a ground ball to the infield, he was flying to first. That fielder better not be napping. Clemente was a remarkable man because at the ages of thirty-four and thirty-five, he played like he was twenty-one. I never saw anything like it. [...] That’s how I’ll always remember him – as a man who played with youthful energy."
- Dave Bristol (Anderson's predecessor as Reds' manager), speaking in May 1967, said "The best player in the game today. I’d have to take him over Aaron and all the rest. [...] I've only been in the league a little over a year and a half, but I don't think I've ever seen him make an easy out." Quoted in September 1969, Bristol reiterated, "Clemente is the best player I’ve ever seen. I said so when I first came into the league and I still say so."
- Paul Richards, taking part in a poll of MLB general managers at the 1967 winter meetings (speaking as the then-Atlanta Braves GM), said, "I don’t know how a man can be running away from the ball and hit it into the upper deck. I shudder to think what he would do if he stood at the plate on every pitch and defied the pitcher to pitch to him. Clemente’s a one-man show as far as I’m concerned. He’s not only the best today; he’s one of the best that’s ever played baseball. He’s got power, and he’s so fast that any bouncing ball is a potential base hit. He can hit the ball into the upper deck in anybody’s ballpark – right field or left field. He’s got one of the strongest and most accurate throwing arms I’ve ever seen. He can throw from the most awkward and seemingly impossible positions. He can throw people out at second base on balls that would be triples to any other right fielder. And the thing about this fellow is that he actually breaks many of the fundamental rules of hitting. Many times he sticks his fanny out – but he still manages to hit the ball with authority. To me he is one of the most amazing athletes of all time."
- Lou Boudreau, speaking in 1964, said that Clemente was "one of the worst-looking great hitters I’ve seen. Everything is a line drive. There isn’t one phase of baseball in which he doesn’t excel."
- Lou Brock, speaking with reporters in June 1967, explained, "I'm looking at the best hitter in baseball," in response to queries regarding the "rapt attention" he had given one of Clemente's at-bats. In July 1980, Brock told The New Pittsburgh Courier, "Willie Mays was the greatest player I ever saw. Clemente was second and Hank Aaron was the greatest slugger. But pound for pound, play-for-play, Willie Mays could do it all well. You can name four or five in what I call that elite category."
- Clete Boyer, circa 2002, said that Clemente was "by far the greatest defensive right fielder who ever lived, but because he played in Pittsburgh, he didn't get the credit he deserved. I played with Roger Maris and against Al Kaline, and they were both great right fielders. But they weren't in Clemente's class."
- Smoky Burgess, looking back in 1978 at his long MLB career, told former Pittsburgh Press sports editor Les Biederman, "The one player who impressed me the most was Roberto Clemente, both as a man and as an athlete. He was one of the nicest individuals and just tremendous as a ball player. I never saw a better player, although I always regarded Ted Williams as the best hitter."
- Tommy John considered Clemente one of the most difficult hitters he ever faced as a pitcher. "He hit the same way I pitched: with his head, outthinking you."
- Tom Seaver, speaking with Phil Pepe, circa 1997, said, "I had a kind of dual relationship with a Roberto Clemente, a Henry Aaron, a Willie Mays. You watch them and you appreciate their professional approach and their God-given expertise of the game. Then you're competing against them. [...] Clemente and Mays and Aaron. These are the guys who, when you weren’t pitching, you just sat there and watched them play, watched what they did. Anybody who watched the ball when Willie Mays was on the field was crazy. And Clemente was very much the same."
- Rusty Staub, speaking in April 1968, said, "Clemente has fantastic power, fantastic speed, a fantastic ability to hit the ball to the opposite field, a fantastic arm – he is the complete ballplayer. Roberto is not merely good at everything, but great at everything. He just beats you, and beats you at everything you can do in baseball. I know of no other player comparable to him." Interviewed in the fall of 1971, Staub added, "Clemente is the greatest defensive outfielder I've ever seen. I’ve never been on his ball club and I don’t know what he’s like as a team player, but this guy can do just everything to beat you – run, hit, throw, catch, and just kill you with power. He’s the best player I’ve seen in the big leagues."
- Coot Veal, one of Clemente's teammates on the 1960 Pirates, told Danny Peary, "There were many guys on the Pirates who had leadership qualities: Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat, Don Hoak, Vernon Law, even Smoky Burgess. Clemente led with his play. There wasn’t a better player than Roberto Clemente. Clemente, Mantle and Kaline were the best all-around players I ever saw, and I think Clemente was the best."
- Eddie Yost, baseball's onetime "Walking Man", when asked to name the best players of his era, replied, "Yogi... and all the Yankees, for that matter. But I saw Clemente when I was coaching for the Mets. I believe he was the best I saw."
- Dick Young, following Game 3 of the 1971 World Series, wrote, "The best damn ballplayer in the World Series – maybe in the whole world – is Roberto Clemente and, as far as I’m concerned, they can give him the automobile right now. Maybe some guys hit the ball farther, and some throw it harder, and one or two run faster, although I doubt that, but nobody puts it all together like Roberto. [...] Clemente is a 37-year-old roadrunner. He has spent 18 summers of those years playing baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has batted over .300 thirteen times, and for the last three seasons, in his decrepitude, he has hit .345, .352, .341. But everybody has numbers. Don’t mind the numbers. Just watch how Roberto Clemente runs 90 feet the next time he hits the ball back to the pitcher and ask yourself if you work at your job that way. Every time I see Roberto Clemente play ball, I think of the times I’ve heard about how ‘they’ dog it, and I want to vomit."
Clemente Day
Roberto
ARTICLE WILL BE MODIFIED NEXT YEAR TO ALSO INCLUDE THE RICKY NELSON NEW YEAR'S EVE PLANE CRASH
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