Product Description
A brief biography of the Hall of Fame player known for his humanitarian efforts as well as for his athletic ability. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Roberto Clemente
This book is great and tells about Roberto Clemente on and off the field, one of the greatest books I ever read ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the baseball superstar from Puerto Rico who, before his untimely death in a 1972 airplane crash, was noted for his achievements on and off the baseball field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Baseball Legends Roberto Clemente
The book about Roberto Clemente is explaning to you that he can be placed at the top of the greatest baseball players list. I think that if you are a baseball fan you will be able to understand the book a lot more than others. Somehings that you might get out of this book or tha you might learn about this person is that he had an 307 lifetime batting average, he was 15th on the all time home run list, he was one of the best outfeilders to play for the pittsburg pirates, he was one of many to play in the Babe Ruth error, he was also one of the greatest hitters in the league at that time with more than 3000 hits.

RODNEY D

Roberto Clemente a Star From Puerta Rico
Roberto Clemente was born in Puert Rico. He grew up watching his favorite players play. His favorite player was Monte Irvin. Roberto always had a dream of playing in the majors. When he turned 18 he got his chance to tryout for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He made the team and played in the minors. After one year with the Dodgers he then went to play for Pittsburgh and he ended up playing for them the rest of his career. He then won 12 golden gloves. He won one World Series and ended up with over 3000 career hits , and a batting average of .317. He was a Big League star and an idol for many.

Josh C. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the athletic achievements and philanthropic deeds of the professional baseball player who died in a plane crash in 1972. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides an introduction to the life and biography of Roberto Clemente, the baseball superstar from Puerto Rico who is remembered for his talent on the field and his humanitarian efforts off the field. ... Read more

Product Description
Traces the personal life and baseball career of the Puerto Rican baseball superstar, from his childhood love of the game through his professional career and untimely death to his election to the Hall of Fame in 1973. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the Most Important Teams in the History of SportsIn 1947, major league baseball experienced its first measure of integration in the modern era when the Brooklyn Dodgers brought Jackie Robinson to the National League. While Robinson’s breakthrough opened the gates of opportunity for African Americans and other minority players, the process of integration proved slow and uneven. It was not until the 1960s that a handful of major league teams began to boast more than a few Black and Latino players. But the 1971 World Championship team enjoyed a full and complete level of integration, with half of its twenty-five-man roster comprised of players of African American and Latino descent. That team was the Pittsburgh Pirates, managed by an old-time Irishman.

In The Team That Changed Baseball: Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, veteran baseball writer Bruce Markusen tells the story of one of the most likable and significant teams in the history of professional sports. In addition to the fact that they fielded the first all-minority lineup in major league history, the 1971 Pirates are noteworthy for the team’s inspiring individual performances, including those of future Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Bill Mazeroski, and their remarkable World Series victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. But perhaps their greatest legacy is the team’s influence on the future of baseball, debunking the myth that a multicultural clubhouse could not win and inspiring later championship teams such as the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics to open their doors fully to all talented players, regardless of race, particularly in the new era of free agency. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Pirates Fan
If you are a Pirates fan and/or a fan of Roberto Clemente then this book is a must read.Interesting insight into the 1971 Pirates.

the team that changed baseball- r.clemente & 1971 pirates
Fantastic read! I wanted to know more about this team. Clemente is one on my favorites. Also. my father-in-law was a Brig. Gen. & Commander of recruiting for the Air Force at that time. He was made an honorary member of the 1971 Pirates team and sat in the dug out during the series. He was presented with a Pirate game hat, game ball signed by every player on the Pittsburg team and and LP (remember 1971) of the event with him speaking at a dinner to the team. He game me the ball on my 30th birthday. What a treat.
Stoney Coppage

An important team in baseball history
The 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates were "a product of an aggressive search for winning talent of any color and the willingness to play that talent at any position--even if it meant a lineup of blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos or any combination," according to author Bruce Markusen.

The 1971 Pirates, in fact, fielded the first all-black lineup on Sept. 1.The lineup was not a token lineup or an attempt to be the first team to do so.The Pirates were in the midst of a tight pennant race.The lineup that day consisted of: Rennie Stennett, 2B; Gene Clines, CF; Roberto Clemente, RF; Willie Stargell, LF; Manny Sanguillen, C; Dave Cash, 3B; Al Oliver, 1B; Jackie Hernandez, SS; and Dock Ellis, P.

Manager Danny Murtaugh said, "Once a Pirate puts on a uniform, I don't notice the color of his skin.When it comes to making out the lineup, I'm colorblind and my players know that."

Nearly 25 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, major league teams still had unwritten quotas about the number of black players they carried on their roster.The Pirates showed that being colorblind was not only the right philosophical approach, but also a winning one.

According to Markusen, there was no racism and little or no dissension on the 1971 Pirates.The teammates were very close and there was a healthy clubhouse atmosphere.

Markusen chronicles the 1971 season in a month-by-month approach, which grows tedious after a while.But, he manages to hit the highlights without a game-by-game description.

Even though I remember the 1971 World Series, I had forgotten all the surprising moves Murtaugh made as the Pirates upset the powerful Baltimore Orioles.Murtaugh's gut feelings concerning starting pitchers and lineup choices paid off as the Bucs came back from being down two games to none.The Orioles were hurt by nine errors in the first five games.

Markusen concludes with interesting thumbnail sketches of what happened to each of the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates.

You'll Feel Like You're Reliving the 1971 Season!
The subtitle of Bruce Markusen's The Team that Changed Baseball is "Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates."I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and the '71 World Series is one I'll never forget.On top of all that, Roberto Clemente has always been a hero of mine, so I simply had to read this book.

One of the things that makes this title so special is the difference between media coverage of a World Series back then vs. one today.Every aspect of the game and players lives is covered today.It's hard to miss even the smallest detail.Back then you had the game itself and a couple of local sports columnists.No ESPN.No Internet.No DVR-ing all the pre-game hype on every single channel.Even though I read every article I could back in 1971, I learned a lot of new tidbits thanks to this great book.

Markusen does a fantastic job of taking you back to the entire 1971 season.His extensive interviews with many of the players and coaches make this book a treasure for any Pirates fan of the 1970's.Month-by-month regular season assessments of the team's performance, roster changes, etc., lead up to almost 40 pages of coverage dedicated to the '71 World Series...yet another one the Pirates were supposed to lose, this time, to the extremely talented Baltimore Orioles.

My favorite part of this book is the "Where Are They Now" chapter he closes with.It was fun to read what some of these guys are up to now, especially the ones I hadn't even thought about since the early '70's.Any baseball fan will enjoy this book, but if you're a Pirates fan and you followed the team in 1971, you definitely need to add The Team that Changed Baseball to your library.

Not exactly what I expected
Those that love baseball or the Pittsburgh Pirates will love this book. The author has written a very engaging and easy read concerning the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates.Therein lies my problem. This book is essentially a chronological history of one year of one baseball team. I was expecting far more regarding integration and racial and social conflicts than what was included. There are whole chapters devoid of any discussion of race, integration, and other aspects one would associate with these issues. When the author does discuss the issue of integration in baseball, the coverage remains very limited and leaves the reader asking far more questions. One would think there would be far more coverage and debate of this issue given the title of the book and the supposed focus of the effort. However, this work is essentially a view of one year in a professional baseball team. Those that love baseball will find it a very good work whereas those who were hoping for a deeper study of professional baseball's struggle with integration, may want to look elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the great Puerto Rican-born baseball player. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insperational baseball player
Roberto Clementedid many great things thourgh his career as a proffesional Baseball player. He grew up not having much and worked hard to earn the things he wanted. Eventually in his teen ages, he started player Baseball leagues witch evntually led to the proffesionals. One of the things he did was particiapte in drug campaigns. In the end he was introduced to the Hall of Fame after his death. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduces the life of Pittsburgh Pirates rightfielder Roberto Clemente, the first Latino baseball player to gain wide recognition for his contributions on and off the playing field. ... Read more