Thursday, April 06, 2006

Roberto

Sports Illustrated this week includes a book excerpt from David Maraniss' upcoming book Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero. I had actually recieved an e-mail a couple weeks back encouraging me to check the book out, but had forgotten completely about it. The SI excerpt details Roberto's relief efforts for Nicaragua in his last few days, as well the terrible (and more or less criminal) circumstances surrounding his fateful final flight. Some of the details of how he was more or less exploited into renting out an airplane that could have never made the flight to Managua are pretty painful to read, but it's a very well done piece that's worth checking out. The timing of the book and article are appropriate, as I'd assume the debate over whether #21 should be retired league-wide will come to a head this summer, probably sometime before the All-Star Game.