Today is Roberto Clemente day in Major League Baseball. Roberto Clemente was one of the greatest Hispanic players of all time not just because of the statistics that he put up while playing the game, but because of the humanitarian efforts that he put while alive. As a player Roberto Clemente had all the tools necessary to be successful at playing right field he had speed, athleticism, and a rifle for an arm that cut down a number of runners trying to take an extra base. To this day I think I've only seen one or two players with arms that would be in the same category as Clemente.
Clemente did so much for kids back in his native Puerto Rico and all over Latin America building schools, play grounds, and baseball fields. The day of his death he was on his way to Nicaragua to deliver aid to people affected by a massive earthquake. Players try to memorialize Clemente by wearing the number 21 which Clemente once wore. Puerto Rican first baseman Carlos Delgado was one of those players as was Dominican born Sammy Sosa and American born Paul O'Neill also wore the number 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente.
I wish I were born in time to have watched Mr. Clemente play live it would've been a thrill to watch as every hit he collected lead to his march to 3,000 hits. If isn't obvious Roberto Clemente Walker is in the MLB Hall of Fame and is a hero in Latin America as he is in Pittsburgh. Today, there is an annual Roberto Clemente award which recognizes players who go out of their way to help others just like Mr. Clemente did when he was alive. Congratulations to Mr. Clemente for being the kind of player I wish my favorite ball player would like to be like.
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