“The Most Important Puerto Rican Ever”

Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney

ESPN Radio

Sports

3.7 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2021

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Buster Olney remembers the life and tragic passing of Roberto Clemente on New Year’s Eve of 1972 with three distinct voices. First, Buster talks to former Pirates pitcher Steve Blass about meeting Clemente as an 18-year-old minor leaguer, when he heard the news of the plane crash, spring training of 1973 feeling like an extension of the memorial, what Clemente was like in the clubhouse and why no one could take their eyes off of him. Then David Maraniss, author of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero, stops by to talk about his live broadcast relaying the news of Clemente’s death, why he decided to write a Clemente biography, the awe Clemente inspired in fellow players and Manny Sanguillén searching for Clemente’s body. Finally, longtime MLB player and coach Joey Cora discusses learning of Clemente’s death at the age of seven, Clemente putting Puerto Rico on the map, how Clemente paved the way for all Puerto Rican players in MLB and his favorite Clemente highlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is baseball tonight, the podcast.
0:12.0	This is a baseball tonight podcast.
0:14.0	We're taping on Thursday.
0:16.0	December 23rd, 2021, today will be better than yesterday.
0:19.9	Producing from his home studio at his mom's house, Gunn and Marilyn Taylor, that's where
0:25.1	you are.
0:26.1	Correct, Croft and Marilyn, C72, once rated the 72nd nicest place to live in all the
0:31.4	America, don't think I've ever forgotten it, that was in like 2006.
0:35.1	That would be Tyler Schwink, Vermont being the number one place to grow up.
0:40.7	I'm Buster only working for my home in New York.
0:43.4	Happy holidays everyone, we close in.
0:46.1	New Year's Eve annually, of course, this time of year, and for me, that always raises the
0:50.8	stink memories from the time of the death of Roberta Clemente.
0:54.4	December 31st, 1972, was on a flight meant to bring supplies from San Juan Puerto Rico
1:00.0	to Nicaragua, which had suffered a devastating earthquake and overloaded the plane went
1:05.8	into the sea.
1:06.8	I was eight years old at the time, I remember first hearing about it on the radio and then
1:10.5	seeing the banner headlines the next day.
1:13.4	So I wanted to podcast today about Roberta Clemente, about his life, about his death, his
1:18.3	legacy, and we're going to hear three different voices.
1:22.0	David Marinus, the award-winning author who wrote the best biography of Clemente, longtime
1:26.8	big league player and coach Joey Cora, who was from Puerto Rico and was seven years old
	...

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