Sport-Blog.com

Written by James Fohl

All across America, and through the stretches of Puerto Rico, baseball fans everywhere are working on petitions in order to retire Roberto Clemente’s jersey number (21) throughout all the Major League Baseball organizations.

Only one other jersey number has been retired from every team in the Major Leagues. That jersey number is 42, and belonged to Jacky Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. IT was retired in 1997, the fiftieth anniversary of Jacky’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as the leagues first black player.

Part of the reason fans would like to see the number twenty one retired from Major League baseball is to bring attention to the many Latin American baseball players that play in the Major Leagues every year.

A greater part of the reason why fans are trying so hard to get the number retired before next year’s All Star game is because Roberto Clemente was not only one of the best ball players ever, but also a great man in general.

In his baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bob as he was commonly referred to by his baseball cards, managed to become the first Hispanic player to collect three thousand hits (mind you, he hit exactly 3,000 hits, not one more not one less). He also won twelve gold gloves, and participated in twelve All Star games.

Outside of baseball, Roberto always tried to help those less fortunate then himself. It was his generosity that led to his early death. On December 31st, 1972, at the age of 38, Roberto Clemente died when the small airplane he was aboard crashed, shortly after leaving Puerto Rico. Roberto was aboard the plane, loaded with supplies in hopes of helping victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake.

His wife continued his generosity, by opening several organizations in Puerto Rico that would help give aspiring athletes the ability to get into the Major Leagues. While Roberto may not have been the first Hispanic to play Major League baseball, he was one of the best, and is hailed throughout Latin America.

It is because of these reasons that several Major League Baseball fans, players, and advocates are trying to gain enough support in order to retire Roberto Clemente’s jersey number, which is twenty one (21) not from the teams he had played on (the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates), but rather from all teams in both the Nation League as well as the American League.

Roberto Clemente was not just a very fine baseball player, but he was also a great person who used his popularity and power to influence others to help those less fortunate. Because of him, millions of less fortunate people have been helped, along with that, thousands of Hispanic young men have been given the opportunity to enhance their baseball skills and becomes players in the Major League Baseball association. It is true that Roberto Clemente was a fantastic baseball player, but it is the fact that Roberto Clemente was such a fantastic person in general that these groups of people want to have his jersey number retired throughout Major League Baseball.