Google Doodle today honors my childhood hero, Roberto Clemente

[FSogol]

Roberto Clemente's legacy as one of baseball's greatest players is matched only by the memory of the selfless sacrifice he made trying to help others in need.

The son of a sugar cane worker in Puerto Rico, Clemente showed athletic promise at an early age, joining the Puerto Rican amateur league in 1952 at the age of 16 and signing a minor league contract with a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate two years later. In July 1954, Clemente's first home run in North America resulted in an extra-innings walk-off win for the triple-A Montreal Royals.

SNIP (his baseball records)

Hall of Fame numbers, for certain. But it's also for Clemente's humanitarian efforts that Google, in the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, dedicated its Doodle on Friday to the first Latin American player enshrined in Cooperstown. Clemente spent much of his off-season involved in charity work, delivering baseball equipment and food to those in need in Latin American and Caribbean countries. After a 6.3 earthquake killed thousands and caused widespread damage to Nicaragua on Dec. 23, 1972, Clemente began arranging emergency relief flights to deliver aid to survivors.

After learning that the aid packages were being diverted by corrupt government officials, Clemente decided to accompany a New Year's Eve flight to ensure the supplies were delivered to earthquake victims. But the plane, with a history of mechanical problems and overloaded by more than two tons, suffered an engine failure and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean immediately after takeoff. The body of the pilot was found a few days after the crash, but the bodies of Clemente and three others who were on the DC-7 were never recovered. He was 38.

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-doodle-honors-baseball-great-and-humanitarian-roberto-clemente/

[Petosky Stone]

1. As a kid, living in Pittsburgh,

we were devastated when we heard the news coming over the local radio station, while eating breakfast. Then the free toy from the box of cereal dumped into my bowl, a 3-d baseball card of Clemente.

I still have it.

There was no one in the world that didn't admire that guy.

[montana_hazeleyes]

3. That's so amazing about the card.

Yes, we all were so sad to lose him. A great man in every way. A real hero.

[Dulcinea]

7. Same here.

My dad took me to Pirates games when I was growing up. I remember when we learned when his plane went down. It was Christmas time, and my dad was devastated.

[livetohike]

2. Mine too. Many happy days sitting at Forbes Field and

watching him play.

[Guilded Lilly]

4. Count me among the those who revered Clemente...

Pittsburgh kid here.
My hero as a child.
I, too, have my cherished Clemente card.
I was heartbroken when he died. My Grandfather was a friend of Pirate announcer, Bob Prince. The entire town was stricken in deep grief at the loss of such a marvelous, humble hero.

[rurallib]

5. A true hero. Great player, great man.

[Botany]

6. Don't call me Bobby my parents named me Roberto

Great player and an even better person.

[FakeNoose]

8. Roberto really was a hero, and he's still loved in Pittsburgh

[malthaussen]

9. Originally, the Brooklyn scout didn't want to sign Clemente...

... if I recall the story correctly, he said that Clemente's arm wasn't as good as Furillo's. Then a second scout went to see him, and said if Roberto's arm wasn't as good as Carl Furillo's, he wouldn't want to live on the difference.

-- Mal