He is one of only two major league baseball players who didn't have to wait the standard five years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. A special motion was made among the Baseball Writers of America — the organization that elects players to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY — and Clemente joined Lou Gehrig as the only players immediately elected. Clemente's on-field accomplishments were a shoo-in for enshrinement even before his death in the service of others. Tragically, he didn't live to receive the honor.
Beyond the tragedy of the final weeks of his life, Maraniss' text reads like a pleasant baseball box score. He tells of big games in which Clemente often performed amazing feats. He lets us see how the player could sometimes be sullen and small while at other times being gregarious and generous. Maraniss paints a portrait of a complicated, layered individual. What he doesn't quite paint is a man who measures up to the martyr legacy often conferred upon him. I'm not sure why I feel a disconnect, but it's there. Maybe it's Maraniss. Maybe it's me.
Article comments
1 - Maddy Pumilia
All I know about Clemente is that there's a bridge in Pittsburgh that leads to PNC park and Heinz Field and it's my favorite place in the entire world. And the day Clemente died, the Steelers lost the AFC Championship game. It was a bad day for Pittsburgh.
I'm not even a baseball fan. But man, now I want this book. Nice article.
2 - Josh Hathaway
Thanks, Maddy. Even though I felt a tad let down by it, I think it's absolutely worth the time. As for the Steelers, can we please all finally admit the Immaculate Reception was an incomplete pass, robbing my Raiders? :)