Alright, Any baseball historians out there?

[daveleau]

Again another slightly (...yeah) off topic question...

I was reading in the Baseball Weekly this week the Roberto Clemente died after his final at bat where he hit his 3000th hit. What happened? This was in 1972.
Thanks
Dave

[mike L]

Dave I think it was a plane crash

[dkozloski]

There was a disaster in his home country. He chartered a plane, a DC-6, to fly relief supplies in and it crashed on the way.

[Sharpy]

What was he doing batting on a plane?
Or did it crash into the field?
J/K http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
"He died in an airplane crash on New Year's Eve, 1972, carrying food and medical supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua."
Quiet a hero.
Here's where i found it www.totalbaseball.com/player/c/clemr101/clemr101.html (http://www.totalbaseball.com/player/c/clemr101/clemr101.html)

[tonym]

I saw Roberto Clemente play ball when I was a kid. He was a man. No BS, no bragging, no bravado. He could smack the casing off a baseball and turn around and run out a fly ball that would have dropped in front of lesser men.

We need more like him today in all sports venues!!

Thanks for the memories, Dave!!


Tony

[daveleau]

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif TonyM

Wow. I hate to say it but I was born almost 2 years after he died, so... While I am a big baseball fan, I am not much of a historian. Thanks for the info. Good stuff. There are few guys today that can be a superstar w/o bragging. That's why I am a pretty big hockey fan. With all of the violence (not including the recent stick-to- the head incidents), it is still one of the most gentlemanly (word?) games around. You rarely heard bravado spouting from a 50-60 goal scorer's mouth. Unlike a guy that scores 20TDs or hits 50 HRs.

Thanks
Dave

[grandslammer]

I grew up in Wheeling, WV, which is a little less than an hour from Pittsburgh, PA.

My Pop used to take me to see the pirates all the time. I'd say at least a dozen games a year. Clemente was my hero as a kid. He was the clutch hitter. Whenever you needed a hit, he was your man. A fantastic glove. He used to spend hours in the outfield practicing every angle the ball could possibly bounce.

But, I'd say his greatest (in my opinion) attribute was his arm. I saw him catch a ball near the wall, then throw out the guy at the plat who tagged up and tried to come home from third! He wasn't a braggard, but he was a very proud person.

After the earthquake in Nicaragua, there were a lot of people stealing the supplies coming in, and selling them on the black market. Roberto hated that this was happening, and thought "surely they would not steal from Roberto Clemente," beacuse he knew he was a hero anyone who knew baseball, and most, if not all of Latin America. So, he went along with a load of supplies. Of course, the plane he was on never arrived........

That was a sad day indeed for all the people of Pittsburgh, and for all of baseball. I was young, but I remember hearing that we had lost him........

My Pop took me down to the field when i was, shoot I had to be like 7 or 8, and after waiting some time got him to autograph a ball. That was my prize posession for sooo long. After a breakup of a long relationship in Ohio back in 1982, I realized that I no longer had it. Found out years later that my ex had a nice vacation after selling it. Hmmmmm.. Oh well, I still remembner getting it, so I'll always have that, huh?

I mean, this guy played hurt, and when there were times he couldn't play, they gave him flack about it!

So Dave, you picked a great one to ask about, a lot of players today could take a few pointers from him as to how to play, and how to conduct themselves also...We'll always remember him.......

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif M

[hd581]

Found out years later that my ex had a nice vacation after selling it. I always wondered how that girl got Roberto Clemente's autograph on this baseball!

j/k, sorry to hear about you losing something like that. You're right, though, you still have the memories. That's something no one can take from you (w/out resorting to drugs or something)

[Unsecured Loner]

Let's see who I can remember from those days. There was Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell (another class act), Manny Sanguillen, Doc Ellis, Bob Veal, Al Oliver. I think Rennie Stennett was around then, and didn't Manny Mota start with the Pirates?

For a true baseball fan (geek?), those names bring back a lot of good memories. Anyone remember any others?

[tonym]

Dave,

I love hockey! I go to as many Bruin's games as I can during the season, and occasionally a game or two in Montreal. I played it (left defense) until I broke both my ankles at the same time getting checked into the boards by two opponents. Was 16 yrs. old. OUCH!! Since then I walk on ratchets (click-click-click) every low-pressure day!

That aside, Ray Bourque is an excellent example of a gentleman -- a guy who grinds it out night in and night out and is the perfect combination of humble, talent and hard work. I was sorry to see him go from Boston, but wish him well in Colorado.

And I don't mean that you can't (or couldn't) say this about lots of others...Gretsky, Howe (all of them!), Messier, Jagr to name a few. No end-zone dances, trash-talking or high-fives here, just blood, sweat and tears (and hard work)!

And 'slammer, I feel for you. I had gone crazy searching for an autographed picture of Roger Maris that I had. Tore my parents house and my house apart looking for it. It was in mint condition, probably worth a grand or two. I wanted it for the memory, not the $$.
I found out after my brother moved to N. Carolina that the a** hole pilfered it and used the proceeds to by his big screen TV. I'll have to find out his significant other's name. What's your ex's name???


Tony

[grandslammer]

My ex's name was (is?) Kathy. Short, w/long brown hair. If she's offering a Clemente ball, give me a call! HA!

Willie Stargell. They ended up calling him "Pop's" Stargell. "spread some chicken on the hill with will!" He used to own a restaurant, and after a win, he'd supply a picnic for the fans and all....

Doc Ellis was real hot. Also Al Oliver Jr played with someone, was it the Pirates? Barry Bonds started out with the Pirates, but that was clear up un '86. The 70's were really the Pittsburgh decade. Four super bowls, let's see, '71 w/s, '79 w/s, both beating Baltimore 4 games to three...

You know what else I had? You know those little bobbin' head dolls? Every time I went to a game, I suckered Pop into buying me one. I know for a fact I had half a dozen Clemente's. You know what those go for now, especially in mint cond> Oh well, I'd give them all up anyway to just spend a warm, breezy afternoon at three river's stadium with my Pop. Oh well, I can do it with MY kids now, maybe they'll remember it like I do.

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[daveleau]

TonyM-
My first (one of two) NHL games tha tI attended was the Bruins VS the Red Wings in Det. in 78 or 79. I ewas about 4-5years of age http://www.sysopt.com/forum/redface.gif. Since then I have loved n=both teams. I was very sad to see Ray leave Boston. he will wear a Bruins uni in the Hall though. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif. My second and latest game was the Red Wings against the Hurricanes in Raleigh. That was in 88. Oh sorry, I mean 98, the Hurricanes where still Whaling in 88. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif
Dave

I am also a huge Adam Oates fan. When i start a team in any NHL game, I always trade someone to get Adam Oates. It rools off the tounge...and a GOAL by Adam Oates... http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif