1986 Sportflics Decade Greats Roberto Clemente

 

The player: Considered the greatest Puerto Rican player in history, Roberto Clemente is one of the all-time great outfielders. An excellent fielder with a rocket arm, his diving catches in big games were legendary in Pittsburgh. He won 12 straight gold gloves from 1961-1972. One of the best hitters of his era, Clemente won four NL batting titles. From 1960 to 1972 he hit over .300 every year except the anomalous 1968 season, when he still hit an impressive .291.  Though he was a perennial contender for the batting championship, Clemente was not a big home run hitter, topping 20 HR only three times in his career. Perhaps that is part of why he was somewhat underrated until the early 21st century when there was a greater appreciation for all-around talents. A great clutch hitter, Clemente starred when it mattered most. He played in two World Series, both 7-game wins for the Pirates, and had a hit in all 14 games. He was MVP of the 1971 World Series, where he hit .414 with 2 HR.

The man: Clemente has been a hero for Puerto Rican baseball players since he became a star, and is a great role model for anyone, with his history of charitable actions and grace under pressure. During his playing career, he developed a reputation, largely undeserved, for having a thin skin and being a "hypochondriac". Much of this was based on stereotypes of Latin Americans. Clemente served in the US Marine Corps in the offseason from 1958 to 1964, and is a member of Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame and Puerto Rican Veterans Hall of Fame. Clemente, who lost two stepsiblings at young ages, often thought he would die young, even saying so on-air in an interview during the 1971 All Star Game. On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash delivering emergency supplies to Nicaragua after an earthquake.

My collection: I have three of Clemente's Topps cards: 1969, 1972 and 1973.