{"id":2190,"date":"2012-12-21T14:02:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-21T14:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=2190"},"modified":"2015-01-08T17:27:43","modified_gmt":"2015-01-08T22:27:43","slug":"roberto-clemente-day-at-three-rivers-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/12\/21\/roberto-clemente-day-at-three-rivers-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Roberto Clemente Day at Three Rivers Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Photo <\/a>
(Photo by Ed Morgan, The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

July 25, 1970:<\/strong>\u00a0Is it any wonder Pittsburgh embraced Roberto Clemente? On the field,\u00a0he was a hustler, running out every grounder, mercilessly stalking any\u00a0ball hit in or near right field, and that arm \u2026 holy smokes. It\u00a0seemed he could make a ball ignore the laws of physics. His prowess at\u00a0the plate is summed up by one statistic: 3,000 hits.<\/p>\n

On and off the field, Clemente was dignified and often stoic, not to mention a man who knew something about commitment. \u201cI will never wear any\u00a0other uniform than a Pittsburgh uniform.\u201d he once said.<\/p>\n

This picture was made on a night set aside for Pittsburgh to honor\u00a0Clemente. More than 43,000 fans packed Three Rivers Stadium. When\u00a0Clemente stepped to the microphone, fans rose to their feet, and \u201cfor\u00a0a full minute the crowd roared before it would settle back to listen,\u201d The Pittsburgh Press reported.<\/p>\n

Clemente got a kiss from wife Vera. Two of his sons, Roberto and Luis,\u00a0stood in front. Baby Enrique was at the event but not in the\u00a0photograph, although he does appear in others taken that night. At right are Clemente\u2019s\u00a0parents, Luisa and Melchor. The event raised $4,000, which Clemente\u00a0donated to Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

Later, he told an interviewer, \u201cIn a way, I was born twice. I was born\u00a0in 1934 and again in 1955 when I came to Pittsburgh. I am thankful to\u00a0say that I lived two lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 40 years since Clemente boarded a DC-7 packed with\u00a0earthquake relief supplies bound for a devastated Nicaragua. The\u00a0overloaded plane struggled into the air over San Juan International\u00a0Airport, then banked to the north and headed out over the ocean, never\u00a0to be seen again.<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Eve, the anniversary of the plane\u2019s crash, we\u2019ll pause for a moment and raise a glass to the man who was many things, but\u00a0most of all, he was our brother.<\/p>\n

PG sportswriter Bob Dvorchak takes at look at the life and legacy of Roberto Clemente in this episode of \u201cSports \u2018n \u2018at.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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