Roberto Clemente Jr. wasn't expecting to be in Pittsburgh New Year's Eve, but a cancelled flight home to Puerto Rico kept the family of the eldest son of the legendary Pirate outfielder in Pittsburgh through the New Year.
New Years Eve itself is a difficult day for Clemente Jr., especially this one. 50 years ago in 1972, Clemente infamously departed on a plane to try to deliver much-needed supplies to the country of Nicaragua, which had just suffered an earthquake. The plane crashed, and Clemente died at the age of 38.
"Obviously every year we celebrate New Year's, and the connection to the celebration always gives me mixed emotions," Clemente Jr. said. "It brings back the emotion of those days and the feeling of guilt of not doing as much as I could to stop him from getting on the plane.
"But I always realize, he needed to go that way. That was his destiny."
And perhaps it was destiny that kept Clemente Jr. in Pittsburgh instead of with his brothers, Enrique and Luis, back home. Instead of being home, he and his family held an impromptu ceremony at the Roberto Clemente Statue at PNC Park Saturday, attended by dozens of Pirate fans, many bringing flowers, arrangements and even a baseball for the statue.
"The love story goes on," Clemente Jr. said with a smile.
Those dozens in Pittsburgh on a foggy North Shore afternoon were just a fraction compared to the number of messages Clemente. Jr. received, or the other celebrations of life across the country in New York and New Jersey, and in Puerto Rico.
"It's truly an honor, and a confirmation that people are still thinking about him 50 years later," Clemente Jr. said.
The reason why people remember him could be seen in what was left at the statue: A Puerto Rican and Nicaraguan flag. Earlier this month, Clemente was officially declared a national hero by the Nicaraguan government.
"Fifty years ago, he left us, but his legend was born," Clemente Jr. said. "Very proud of that gift he left us, because of the way he lived, he has given us a way to represent and give an opportunity to organizations and people that don't have the voice. His voice is still being heard."
That voice is being carried on by the Clemente family, including Roberto Clemente III and Leo, his grandsons who were there Saturday. Something joyous that can help Clemente Jr. tell the people he greeted at the statue to have a happy new year.
"The way he lived, the way he died, he surpasses who he was as a baseball player, even though it's hard to do. 50 years later, the stats have been stagnant. But the legacy has grown."
