Sitting in a prominent place on a shelf in my baseball library is “Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero,” by David Maraniss.
It’s a splendid biography, capturing the beauty, grace, passion, and contradictions of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.
When it was announced that left-hander Kyle Freeland was the Rockies’ nominee for the annual Roberto Clemente Award, I started re-reading Maraniss’ book. One particular phrase caught my attention: “What burned in the eyes of Roberto Clemente was the fire of dignity.”
For those who don’t know, the Roberto Clemente Award is Major League Baseball’s annual recognition of a player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.