[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ROBERTO CLEMENTE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2003

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Roberto 
Clemente, an outstanding athlete and a very successful baseball player. 
Thirty years ago, in 1973, the National Baseball Hall of Fame held a 
special election for Roberto Clemente, who had died on New Year's Eve, 
1972, while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in 
Nicaragua. He was the first Latino elected to the Baseball Hall of 
Fame.
  Born on August 18, 1934 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente 
Walker's pride and humanitarianism won him universal admiration. 
Despite an unorthodox batting style, the Pirates' great won four 
batting crowns and amassed 3,000 hits. He was equally brilliant in 
right field, where he displayed a precise and powerful arm. Clemente 
earned National League Most Valuable Player honors in 1966, but 
achieved his greatest fame in the 1971 World Series, when he batted 
.414. Tragically, Clemente's life ended at age 38--the victim of a 
plane crash while flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake 
victims.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1952 Roberto Clemente attended an open tryout in 
Santurce, sponsored by the Brooklyn Dodgers' Al Campanis. There were 
seventy-two kids at the tryouts that day. First Campanis had everyone 
line up in center field and throw to home plate. Throw after throw fell 
short until young Roberto's turn. He came up and threw a straight hard 
throw that hit the catcher directly in the mitt with a loud pop. So 
Campanis had him throw another one, which was as good as the first. 
Campanis then told the rest of the 71 young men to go home and asked 
Roberto to stay. Next, Campanis had Roberto run the 60-yard dash. He 
was amazed when Roberto ran it in a sizzling 6.4 seconds. Next, they 
moved to the batting cages. For 20 minutes, Roberto hit one line drive 
after another. Campanis and the Dodgers wanted to sign him right then, 
but he was only 17 and he had to be 18 before he would be able to play 
in the Major Leagues. Three days later, he signed with a local semi-pro 
team the Santurce Crabbers.
  Clemente played with the Crabbers for 1 season before signing with 
the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. After spring training he did not join the 
Dodgers in Brooklyn, he was sent to the Dodgers' farm team, the 
Montreal Royals. Roberto was not happy and was homesick and in 1954, he 
was drafted by the Pittsburgh, Pirates.
  Clemente was only 20 years old and spoke almost no English at all. 
Pittsburgh was not integrated in 1955. When he went to Forbes Field he 
saw only two other black players. He encountered a lot of racial 
discrimination, starting in spring training when a Pittsburgh 
sportswriter labeled him a ``Puerto Rican hot dog.'' His answer to all 
the social injustices he encountered was: ``I don't believe in color; I 
believe in people.''
  Clemente got off to a great start with the Pirates. He had an inside-
the-park home run against the Yankees, and drove in a run that gave the 
Pirates their first win of the season. He played right field for the 
Pirates.
  Clemente played 5 seasons with the Pirates before they finally won 
the World Series. The year 1960 was the year the Pirates could do no 
wrong. Led by Roberto Clemente, Kick Groat, Bill Mazeroski, Bill 
Virdon, and Dick Stuart, Pittsburgh snatched first place in May and 
never let go. They won 23 games by their final at-bat. In May, Clemente 
had a.353 batting average. In one game at Forbes Field, he caught a 
ball and went head first into a concrete wall but somehow managed to 
throw his head back and only cut his chin. The Pirates faced the New 
York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. The Pirates took the series into 
the seventh game. Few people expected the Pirates to win, but sure 
enough, they pulled it off. The Pirates won the game in the ninth 
inning when Bill Mazeroski smashed the ball over the fence for a home 
run.
  The next season Clemente won the National League batting title and a 
Gold Glove for the bestfielding right fielder. In 1966, he won his 
first MVP award.
  Four years later, in 1970, Clemente was honored on Roberto Clemente 
Night at the Pirates' new Three Rivers Stadium. He was given a lot of 
awards and gifts including a scroll signed by over 300,000 people in 
Puerto Rico. Thousands of dollars were also donated in his name to his 
favorite charity in Pittsburgh. The entire ceremony was broadcast on 
radio and TV in Puerto Rico.
  In 1971, the Pirates again won the World Series again with Clemente 
finishing the series with a .414 batting average and several 
spectacular catches. In 1972, he had another great season. During the 
season, he hit his 3,000th career hit. Only 10 players before him had 
done that.
  In December 1972, a massive earthquake struck the Central American 
country of Nicaragua. An estimated 7,000 people were killed, and 
thousands of people were left without food, shelter, or water. 
Nicaragua badly needed help. So Clemente was asked to be an honorary 
chairman of the Puerto Rican Earthquake Relief Committee, and he 
immediately agreed.
  He started to raise money as fast as he could. Contributions of food, 
money, clothing, and medicine poured in and were sent to Nicaragua. 
However, some of the supplies were being stolen and sold for high 
prices. When Roberto heard what was going on he was furious, and 
decided to accompany the next planeload of supplies to Managua and 
supervise their distribution himself.
  On December 31, 1972 at 9:22 p.m., the old DC-7 rumbled down the 
runway and took off. Before long, there was trouble. One of the engines 
exploded so the pilot turned the plane around and started heading back. 
However, there were more explosions and the plane went down in the 
Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately, Roberto Clemente was not rescued and died 
at sea.
  Through his dedication, discipline, and success in baseball, Roberto 
Clemente served as a role model for millions of youngsters in the 
United States and Puerto Rico who dream of succeeding, like him, in the 
world of baseball.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Mr. 
Roberto Clemente for his contributions and dedication to baseball, as 
well as for serving as a role model for the youth of Puerto Rico and 
the U.S.A.

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