Up on the blog today, my special
"Icons" custom card for "The Great One", Roberto Clemente, creating a
set utilizing artwork of a players' home field as a background:
I
have some pretty cool ideas of how this set will be released, and I
hope you all find it just as interesting, with deluxe packaging and
special inserts!
Anyway, as for the man himself, Clemente's career is the stuff of legend: His fiery play on the
field, his good deeds, and his absolute adoration by teammates and fans
alike.
Just special and truly one of a kind!
On the field Clemente's numbers were incredible: four batting
titles, five seasons batting over .340, four 200 hit seasons, 12
all-star nods, 12 Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in 1966.
And a prime example of Clemente's importance to the game was his
immediate induction into Cooperstown by special committee in 1973,
waiving the standard five-year wait before a player joins the Hall
ballot, as well as the establishment of the "Roberto
Clemente Award", given every year to the player that exemplified
"outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in
community work."
The man was truly something else, and I'm not even thinking of his baseball prowess.