"“Well, boys," Mr. Rickey said, "We’re finishing last, so we’ve got the first draft choice. Who is it going to be?" Somebody suggested a pitcher out on the coast. Somebody else said an infielder out of the Southern League. Then he looked at me. “Clyde, do you have a candidate?" “Yes, sir," I said as emphatically as I could. "Clemente, with Montreal." “Any of you other boys see Clemente?" he asked, looking around. One fellow spoke up. “I have," he said. "I didn’t like him." “What didn’t you like about him?" Mr. Rickey said. “I didn’t like his arm," the fellow said. “Clyde,’ the old man said, "did you see this fellow Clemente throw?" “I sure did," I said. “What did you think of his arm?" “Well," I said, "there’s a question in my mind as to whether or not it’s better than Furillo’s." "It’s right in the same class as Furillo’s, and it may even be a little bit better." “I see," Mr. Rickey said. "There seems to be some difference of opinion here. One man doesn’t like the arm, while another says it’s as good as the best. We’ll have to sort this out." So he sent George Sisler and another scout up to Montreal to see Clemente. I guess they decided he could throw as well as do a few other things, because they recommended we draft him. That’s how the Pirates got Clemente for $4,000."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Baptists from the United StatesPresidential Medal of Freedom recipientsUnited States MarinesPeople from San Juan
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Clyde Sukeforth in Baseball When the Grass Was Real (1975) by Donald Honig, reprinted in A Donald Honig Reader (1988), pp. 146–147
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roberto_Clemente
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Roberto Clemente
baseball player
1934 – 1972 · United States
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican Major League baseball player from 1955 through 1972, exclusively with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A posthumous inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (following his fatal plane crash on December 31, 1972, en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua), Clemente became both the first Latin American and the first C
927 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Roberto Clemente →
Related Quotes
"Clemente was an emotional man, and that was his beauty. It drove him not only to physical anguish, but also to nearly…"
"Both Walkers owe a debt of gratitude to the most revered player in Pirates history. Tom Walker played winter ball in …"
"As we were talking, I was moving my neck around so he asked me what was the matter. I told him that my neck hurt beca…"
"Well, somebody asked me if it was true that I scuffled with Roberto Clemente and he pulled a knife and cut me on the …"
"If I went along with all the praise he gets, I’d be a hypocrite. Because it’s not my true feelings. I didn’t look up …"
"I don't believe if Clemente were still alive that there'd be a statue. It's the way he died. I think, in my mind, Sta…"
"I asked Face if he remembered where he was when he learned that Clemente had died in an airplane crash on New Year's …"
"There wasn’t too much contact with Clemente off the field; just at the ballpark. He was pretty much by himself, a lon…"
"Roberto’s body didn't appear because God wanted us to remember him as he was: that handsome negro, so strong, so beau…"
"Everybody looked rumpled next to Roberto Clemente."