2008 Woodie Awards
Baseball makes a difference
Mark Rentfro
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
As the 2007 Major League Baseball season comes to a close, there is plethora of storylines to keep a baseball fan's attention. The Red Sox seem to be set on letting the Yankees win their 10th consecutive division title, the Mets are only a few games away from proving Murphy's Law, and the Cubs and the Brewers are deadlocked in a battle that will undoubtedly end in an Emmy for "Best Impersonation of a Playoff Team." On top of all of these team struggles, there are individual awards still to be handed out. Such questions as "Which Philadelphia Philly should get the MVP?" or "Do we really have to give out a National League Cy Young?" still need to be answered. In the world of baseball, all of these things are important. However, none is as important in the "real world" as the Roberto Clemente Award.
At the end of this year we will remember the life of the second greatest right fielder of all time. Clemente is second only to Babe Ruth as a hitter at his position, arguably second to none as an all-around baseball player, and certainly at the very top of the list of baseball humanitarians. A native of Puerto Rico, Clemente never forgot the poverty from which baseball provided an escape. It is important, in a world of steroids and dog fighting, to remember that there have been athletes willing to give their life to help others. On December 31, 1972, Clemente was on his way to Nicaragua to provide disaster relief for earthquake victims. Reports claimed that his first three airplanes were diverted by corrupt government officials, so he decided to go along with the fourth, himself. He never made it. His plane crashed immediately after take-off and his body was never recovered.
What we do have of Clemente is the memory of a man who overcame great adversity, achieved fantastic wealth and celebrity, and never tried to claim any of it as his own. In addition to having a hit in each game of his two World Series wins, 12 Gold Glove Awards, four National League batting titles, 12 All-Star appearances, and one National League MVP, we have a host of examples of Clemente sharing the wealth he earned with people who deserved it no less than he.
At the end of this year we will remember the life of the second greatest right fielder of all time. Clemente is second only to Babe Ruth as a hitter at his position, arguably second to none as an all-around baseball player, and certainly at the very top of the list of baseball humanitarians. A native of Puerto Rico, Clemente never forgot the poverty from which baseball provided an escape. It is important, in a world of steroids and dog fighting, to remember that there have been athletes willing to give their life to help others. On December 31, 1972, Clemente was on his way to Nicaragua to provide disaster relief for earthquake victims. Reports claimed that his first three airplanes were diverted by corrupt government officials, so he decided to go along with the fourth, himself. He never made it. His plane crashed immediately after take-off and his body was never recovered.
What we do have of Clemente is the memory of a man who overcame great adversity, achieved fantastic wealth and celebrity, and never tried to claim any of it as his own. In addition to having a hit in each game of his two World Series wins, 12 Gold Glove Awards, four National League batting titles, 12 All-Star appearances, and one National League MVP, we have a host of examples of Clemente sharing the wealth he earned with people who deserved it no less than he.
Be the first to comment on this story