A Different Kind Of MYSTERY....The Bat and 3000 hits...ROBERTO CLEMENTE!!

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This is more than just a sport's story...it is a story of a person who was idolized when sport's hero's were not torn down and trashed. I grew up in a family that loved baseball, my father took me to games as a little girl, before my brother was born...I was the boy he always wanted. I was always a fan of Roberto Clemente and remember seeing him play in person. He was so smooth, the way he ran the bases, the way he threw the ball, the way he hit...was so fun to watch his exuberance; he was like a little kid.

Roberto reacted with a three or four minute outburst, combining English and Spanish, to let me know exactly how he felt about Stockton. Apparently he and Dick had had a falling-out some time ago over something Stockton had said on the air. Then Roberto paused, regained his composure, and looked at me with a little smile. "Would it help you if I did the interview?" he asked. "Well, it's my first day on the job and I'm trying to get off on the right foot," I said. "Yes, it would help me if you would talk to him." Clemente nodded and said, "Ok. For you I will do it, my friend." He finished dressing, walked out on the field, and gave an interview to Dick Stockton for the first time in years. -- Bill Guilfoile

I, also, remember coming home from school one day to learn he had died in a plane crash. I was very proud to call him my favorite player. He was doing something to help those poor people in Nicaragua after an earthquake. Chartered a plane with his own money and was going to deliver supplies.

After the game, my dad went down to the clubhouse and waded through a media scrum to Clemente's locker. Sportswriters were asking Roberto how he chose the bat that got him his 3,000th hit. Roberto told The New York Times that Willie Stargell helped him pick out the bat. "I haven't been swinging good lately so Willie picked out one of my bats … a heavier one that I have been using," Roberto is quoted as saying. "He handed it to me and told me to 'go get it.'"

I was looking at ESPN today and stumbled across this article, I am so glad I did. It is about the Mystery Of the 3000 hits and the bat he used. There has been 3 different bats given to people by Roberto and all 3 swear they are the bat. The moral of the story is completely consistent with his personality and wanting to please people. He wasn't trying to deceive anyone. He was just being Roberto.

After the game, my dad went down to the clubhouse and waded through a media scrum to Clemente's locker. Sportswriters were asking Roberto how he chose the bat that got him his 3,000th hit. Roberto told The New York Times that Willie Stargell helped him pick out the bat. "I haven't been swinging good lately so Willie picked out one of my bats … a heavier one that I have been using," Roberto is quoted as saying. "He handed it to me and told me to 'go get it.'"

I hope this story will be a change of pace from what has been written in here lately. Just wanted to share.

BAW33

reply to post by BrokenAngelWings33


He was my hero as a child! If only my mother hadn't thrown away all of my baseball cards of him that I had.

reply to post by BrokenAngelWings33
Interesting story! So I wonder who got the real 3000th hit bat? I also wonder if there's any way to compare the three? I doubt it would bring any answers but would make a fun story. They could do a special segment on "20/20" or something. It would be a nice break from all of the tragic stories of late.