On this date, 78 years ago, "The Great One" was born...

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Mark

the day I got this one in person.

Boy Mark. WHAT A BALL! Talk about a moment that will live with you forever! How did it come about? Before a game or after? Details Mark, details!

I went with my Little League Team to a game in the late 60s at Dodger Stadium and we were stuck in the right field pavilion (which is perfect for 9 & 10 year old kids!). Well, I couldn't take my eyes off of him the whole game! That was it for me. Although I trimmed down on my collection, the three photos and the letter I posted, are what I've kept. Am on the lookout for a signed personalized "To Jimmy/Jim" piece to add to my others. It will come.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

Boy Mark. WHAT A BALL! Talk about a moment that will live with you forever! How did it come about? Before a game or after? Details Mark, details!

I went with my Little League Team to a game in the late 60s at Dodger Stadium and we were stuck in the right field pavilion (which is perfect for 9 & 10 year old kids!). Well, I couldn't take my eyes off of him the whole game! That was it for me. Although I trimmed down on my collection, the three photos and the letter I posted, are what I've kept. Am on the lookout for a signed personalized "To Jimmy/Jim" piece to add to my others. It will come.

I was 9 or 10 and at Forbes Field in 67 or 68. Before the game, I was watching some of the Bucs play pepper along the right field line when Jerry May fouled that ball into the stands and right at my feet. I got some signitures during the game, but I was waiting for Roberto at the clubhouse door after the game ended. He came out with his own black pen and signed it on the sweetspot.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Mark

I was 9 or 10 and at Forbes Field in 67 or 68. Before the game, I was watching some of the Bucs play pepper along the right field line when Jerry May fouled that ball into the stands and right at my feet. I got some signitures during the game, but I was waiting for Roberto at the clubhouse door after the game ended. He came out with his own black pen and signed it on the sweetspot.

What a terrific story to go along with your priceless ball, Mark! It's these kind of memories that fuels our passion to collect.

[GrayGhost]

Man, you guys need to stop being so sensitive, I tell ya. I saw Roberto play a little as a kid, and have seen PLENTY of his ability on film and KNOW HE WAS GREAT.

IN MY EXPERIENCE, when someone says "The Great one" and associates it w an athlete, it relates to Wayne Gretzky.

There was CERTAINLY NO INTENTION to take away from Roberto's memoryIf the post I made, which was a joke to start, bugs you that much, I can only wish my problems were as small as that..Geez

Scott Roberts

[MacDice]

If you were to ask people (sports fans and non-sport fans) who the “Great One” is, the overwhelming response is going to be Wayne Gretzky. No question about it.

Now I am going to open up a can of worms and get ripped apart by Pirate, Dodger and Yankee fans. I think how we perceive players is based upon the era we grew up and the geographical location. I did not grow up in the 1960’s nor am I from the Pittsburgh area but to me Roberto Clemente never really did much for me. Yes he was a very, very, good player but I don’t view him in as high of regard as others (I will take Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle over him any day). I often wondered if he would have just retired after getting his 3000 hit or if he would have played a few more years and fans would have seen his skills deteriorate (the way it did with Willie Mays) rather than dying the way he did if the perception of him would be different. Did his tragic death cause his perception level to be taken to the next level?

The same thing goes for Thurman Munson who a lot of people believe should be a Hall of Famer. Had he not died in the plane crash and played his career out would he be regarded in a different light? Would he been seen as the level of a Jason Vartiek or would he have been on a level of Carlton Fisk? If Sandy Koufax had played in the 1980’s and had his career shortened for the same reason, would modern voters for the Hall of Fame say that he had 5 great seasons but did not have the longevity or the “counting” stats to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

[Mark]

Ok, if you want to troll in a thread intended to honor the late, great Roberto, so be it. Roberto was called "the Great One." He sometimes jokingly referred to himself as "the Great Roberto." The fact that Alexander son of Philip was called the "Great One" back in 350 bc doesn't mean that others weren't called "the Great One" in their lifetimes. Now, what difference does it make if some people think that a hockey player is "the great one?" Maybe you guys think that only Gretzky deserves the name. Maybe the issue that you want to raise is whether Clemente was, in fact, a great baseball player. If you consult what experienced and intelligent baseball people thought about him, you will learn that he was a magnificent outfielder who played with a rare combination of grace and intensity. During the mid to late 1960's, he had some terrific seasons as a fielder and as a hitter. Playing in spacious Forbes Field in a league dominated by great pitching, he had some very impressive offensive stats. From 64-69, he averaged an overall WAR of 7.66 while Mays, during the same period, averaged a WAR of 7.28. Aaron averaged 7.46 for those years. Sure, Mays was older and had had even more astounding totals in earlier years, but the point is that during that era Clemente was an extraordinary player, a true baller, who ranked among the very best in the game. Having given you guys some reasons why he was called the Great One, I have to say that I thnk it is truly obnoxous for people to turn a thread that is meant to honor the memory of the late, great Roberto into a debate about whether he is worthy of a nickname. Does he get a lot of extra attention because he was Puerto Rican and because he died in a noble effort to help earthquake victims? Of course. But neither of those reason would account for why he was called the Great One in his lifetime. If anybody is more interested in learning why he was called this than in asserting that he didn't deserve it, I recommend the Maraniss biography or the Markusen.

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by Mark

Ok, if you want to troll in a thread intended to honor the late, great Roberto, so be it. Roberto was called "the Great One." He sometimes jokingly referred to himself as "the Great Roberto." The fact that Alexander son of Philip was called the "Great One" back in 350 bc doesn't mean that others weren't called "the Great One" in their lifetimes. Now, what difference does it make if some people think that a hockey player is "the great one?" Maybe you guys think that only Gretzky deserves the name. Maybe the issue that you want to raise is whether Clemente was, in fact, a great baseball player. If you consult what experienced and intelligent baseball people thought about him, you will learn that he was a magnificent outfielder who played with a rare combination of grace and intensity. During the mid to late 1960's, he had some terrific seasons as a fielder and as a hitter. Playing in spacious Forbes Field in a league dominated by great pitching, he had some very impressive offensive stats. From 64-69, he averaged an overall WAR of 7.66 while Mays, during the same period, averaged a WAR of 7.28. Aaron averaged 7.46 for those years. Sure, Mays was older and had had even more astounding totals in earlier years, but the point is that during that era Clemente was an extraordinary player, a true baller, who ranked among the very best in the game. Having given you guys some reasons why he was called the Great One, I have to say that I thnk it is truly obnoxous for people to turn a thread that is meant to honor the memory of the late, great Roberto into a debate about whether he is worthy of a nickname. Does he get a lot of extra attention because he was Puerto Rican and because he died in a noble effort to help earthquake victims? Of course. But neither of those reason would account for why he was called the Great One in his lifetime. If anybody is more interested in learning why he was called this than in asserting that he didn't deserve it, I recommend the Maraniss biography or the Markusen.

Well said