Roberto Clemente would have turned 86 today.

THREAD

I often forget that most people outside of Pittsburgh - and many yinzers, as well - don’t know about him. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Maybe you heard he was a jerk (he was a proud Black Latino and America was/is racist). 1/ https://twitter.com/janepitt/status/1295725257765134345

Maybe you know MLB’s humanitarian award is named after him, so you figure he was sort of a good guy. Here’s the thing. Roberto Clemente wasn’t just a good guy.

He was the best guy.

THE. BEST.

2/

He grew up poor in Peurto Rico. As a kid, he worked with his father in the sugar fields. At age 20 he debuted for the Pirates, in a heavily racist northern city. Reporters would make fun of his accent, call him “Bobby” instead of Roberto. 3/

The next year he hit the only walk-off inside-the-park grand slam in MLB history. In 1960, he ranked 8th in MVP voting and felt like he was being overlooked due to his pride, race, and ethnicity. He hit safely in all 7 games of the 1960 World Series - he’d do the same in 1971. 4/

“After I failed to win the Most Valuable Player Award in 1960, I made up my mind I'd win the batting title in 1961 for the first time.”

He’d go one to win 3 more, the MVP in 1966, 12 Gold Gloves, and have more hits than anyone in the 1960s. MLB GMs said he was the best player 5/

in baseball after the 1967 season - better than Triple Crown Winner Carl Yastrzemski, better than Hank Aaron, better than Bob Gibson.

Imagine being arguably the best right fielder (or player) for a decade when HANK AARON plays your position. 6/

“I felt kind of bashful (when the fans went crazy). I'm a very quiet, shy person, although you writers might not believe because I shout sometimes."

He had constant problems with baseball writers. But that didn’t stop him from being proud, which only helped his game:

“You pitch me the fuck inside, I hit the ball to fucking McKeesport.”

“Nobody does anything better than me in baseball.” He said this right before the 1971 World Series. At 37 years-old, he hit .414, 2 homers (one being in the 2-1 win in Game 7). 8/

His arm was so good that the Orioles don’t even test him on a ball to the RF corner with 2 outs.

National audiences didn’t understand what they were seeing. The announcer says that Mays & Aaron couldn’t be any better than Clemente.

Take a look at the end of that previous clip. The first thing he does is speak to his parents in Puerto Rico, in Spanish, on national television, immediately after winning the World Series.

He loved Puerto Rico. He loved his family. He loved his team. He loved Pittsburgh. 10/

“I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give."

He believed in giving - to his teammates; to his family; to those in need.

“When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth."

11/

Clemente would go back to Puerto Rico and other areas in Latin America to provide supplies, baseball gear, food, money, etc. He would visit people in hospitals when he traveled to away games. And when 3 supply trips to Nicaragua failed in the aftermath of an earthquake... 12/

He went himself to see it through.

Roberto Clemente died that trip, giving of himself to others. He had just collected his 3,000th hit, on what would be the final at-bat of his career.

“Why does everyone talk about the past? All that counts is tomorrow's game."

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

So few people live by the words they profess. Roberto Clemente died 12 years before I was born. That doesn’t stop him from having an immense impact on me.

There's no difference between me and you. You need something, a glove, a place to live, you let me know."

Roberto - Happy birthday. Thank you for everything.

Everyone else - You need something, a disc, a place to live, you let me know.

/fin

P.S. You should also all read the excellent column at the top of this thread by @JanePitt!