Clemente!

No Clemente thread. This is more of a general World Series post, but there ought to be one.

A few years ago, a friend passed on some World Series broadcasts on VHS when he bought a DVD recorder. They’re games that TSN here re-broadcasted during the ’94 strike. I just watched Game 7 of the ’71 Series. A lot of these games have been posted online now; you can watch the same game on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zBhRvQIqW0

I was watching at the time--either my second or first World Series. My memory of ’70 is dimmer, but I clearly remember rooting against the Pirates in ’71--primarily to be different than my parents, and I think the idea of four 20-game-winners caught my interest--clearly remember the buzz around Clemente, remember Kison’s great game, etc.

Clemente had a phenomenal Series, but he wasn’t quite as dominant in Game 7 as legend might have it. He hit a home run for the first run of a 2-1 win, otherwise didn’t have a hit (and struck out in the 9th). Very moving in the clubhouse after the game when Bob Prince gives him the mic and he begins by speaking to his parents in Spanish. (Prince first addresses him as Roberto, then switches to Bobby.) Also a nice ovation from the Orioles fans when he comes to bat in the 9th.

Two things among many that jumped out at me. At one point, Curt Gowdy and Chuck Thompson (don’t remember him at all) are discussing how fast Mike Cuellar and Steve Blass work, and Gowdy makes reference to how people are looking for ways to speed up the game. So I guess that’s been an ongoing issue for at least 40 years. (This particular game, by the way, clocked in at 2:10!)

Also, Blass. There’s no pitch count on Baseball Reference, but when Murtaugh sent him out to pitch the 9th, he’d pitched one complete game in the Series already, had just survived a rough 8th (two hits and a run), and had Boog Powell (1970 MVP), Frank Robinson (Frank Robinson), and Merv Rettenmund (.318, 5.8 WAR in ’71) coming up. The Pirates didn’t even have Giusti, their closer, warming up. Not advocating for then or now, just pointing out how incredibly different things were. Blass retired the side on eight pitches.

I was looking for a nice image of Clemente's rookie card and came across this: Dimitri Young sold his (graded 10) for $432,000.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/f8/e2/1337783526_bilde.jpg?itok=UrpQIxKa

http://images.collectors.com/smrweb/smr1203/Roberto_Clemente.jpg

Would have turned 80 today.

http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/08/18/90236698/happy-birthday-to-roberto-clemente-who-wouldve-been-80-today

Can't seem to find any of the videos where those gifs originated.

have you tried the pirates retired numbers video?

@darrenrovell
MUST READ: Roberto Clemente asked for $23,000 for the 1960 season, here's what the Pirates GM responded with

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/627103455824486400

@robneyer
Takeaway for me: GM in 1960 citing on-base percentage!

Roberto beatified by Pope Francis

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-roberto-clemente-closer-to-sainthood-20170817-story.html

Before reading I thought the miracle was that this year's Bucs are still in contention.

Would have been 83 today.

Roberto Clemente Day. First ASG I watched as a kid: hitting a HR off his front foot against Mickey Lolich in '71.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAjw9ZwsCRM

https://i.postimg.cc/htGHQbbw/clemente.jpg

I can't find a second source for this, but I'll assume it's a documented quote (from a FB post):

Sparky Anderson on Roberto Clemente:

"In my 22 years as a manager, I never saw a better player than Roberto Clemente. No player at any position could do anything better than he did it. Everyone talks about Mays being the greatest. I never got to see Mays in his prime, so I can’t make a judgment. Roberto could do more things than any player I’ve ever seen.

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. People didn’t realize how fast he was. He only stole bases if it meant something.

Walking away, Roberto Clemente is my premier outfielder, period.

Clemente wrote the book about playing right-field. He made every play; he also knew how to trick you. Preston Gomez warned me about that when I coached third base for him at San Diego in 1969. He told me to watch Clemente on a base hit to right with the runner rounding second. Clemente will play a game with you. If we have a man on first and there’s a base hit to right-field, he’ll pretend to be loafing in on it. The moment you start to wave for that runner to come to third – look out, there’s gonna be an explosion.

Well, sure enough, I don’t know what inning it was, but the situation came up, he put me in his trap and I did it...and let me tell you, my runner was about two-thirds of the way to third when the ball arrived. His arm was a laser. I came into the dugout and Preston was laughing.

He said, "What did I tell you?" But that was Roberto. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do."