On 'American Experience' tonight: Roberto Clemente

[Oeditpus Rex]

I would've paid just to watch him and Willie Mays run the bases and chase down fly balls.








:patriot:

[lizziegrace]

1. I didn't realize he played for Pittsburgh his entire career

:patriot:

I remember he was unstoppable.

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. It wasn't just that he could do everything

He, like Mays, was a "five-tool" guy — hit for average, hit for power, run the bases, field, throw.

It was the way they both did it — bundles of energy in the batter's box, on the bases and in the outfield, arms and legs windmilling as they ran, their caps flying off, catching balls and making throws you'd think impossible.

I think "reckless abandon" was coined with them in mind.

I doubt any ballplayer loved the game more than Clemente and Mays. Just watching them play was absolute joy.

[lizziegrace]

4. My parents are from Pittsburgh

and my grandmother always had the Pirates games on tv. I remember watching him as a kid. He was amazing. That whole era of players was something. I lived in Cincinnati and got to see Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion (sp?), Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and the rest of the Big Red Machine play when we went to the games a couple times a year. It was magic.

:)

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. That was one helluva ball club

And only a coupla guys in the lineup weren't home-grown. They got George Foster from the Giants and Morgan and Cesar Geronimo from Houston (in the same deal). That made them old-style Yankees-like in their ability to find young talent and coach them to greatness — especialy team greatness, which is much harder to achieve.

I think it was 1972 when Sports Illustrated, in contrast to "Big Red Machine," christened the light-hitting, great-pitching Dodgers "The Little Blue Bicycle." :D

[Forkboy]

2. I watched that months ago. Great show, and a great man.

I highly recommend the show to anyone, sports fan or not.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. I saw it the last time it was on, too

It's the kind of thing you watch every time it's on, if you're an old-time baseball fan.



(Just typing that makes me feel weird. "Old-time baseball" is before 1950.)

[Richardo]

7. That's my favorite pic of Roberto...

My favorite baseball quote (when he was accused of swinging at too many bad pitches): "If I hit it, it's not a bad pitch." :rofl:

My favorite humanitarian quote: "Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth."

He was a five-tool human being too. :loveya:

[Richardo]

8. I got to see him play quite a few times - we went to a lot of Dodger/Pirates games in the 60s & 70s

Throwing from the right field corner to home plate on the fly. :wow: