The right field wall at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, stands 21 feet tall as a tribute to Roberto Clemente (who wore No. 21 throughout his career), one of the greatest players and humanitarians the sport of baseball has ever seen. Over the past couple of years that wall had a tribute to Clemente on a big section of padding down the right field line.
It was pointed out at the team’s first home series of the season that the tribute had been replaced by an advertisement, drawing the ire of both Pirates fans and the son of Clemente, Roberto Clemente Jr.
After some brutal PR for 24 hours, the Pirates made a statement on Sunday announcing they will be returning the Roberto Clemente tribute and that removing it was simply an oversight, and not at all intentional.
Roberto Clemente spent his entire playing career with the Pirates and was one of the greatest defensive right fielders of all time. He also collected exactly 3,000 hits and won four batting titles, the 1966 National League MVP Award and two World Series (1960 and 1971).
He was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1972 just off the coast of Puerto Rico while trying to help deliver supplies to Nicaragua following an earthquake.
On one hand, the Pirates have a significant tribute to Roberto Clemente both in and around PNC Park.
Not only is there a statue right outside of the left field entrance gate to the stadium, but the bridge that connects downtown to the North Shore of the city — and the stadium itself — is named after Roberto Clemente. His number is retired and his presence is felt at every turn inside of the stadium.
On the other hand, taking down even one of those tributes to replace it with an advertisement for a spiked lemonade/iced tea drink is not going to get a warm reception from fans. Especially when it is on the wall that was built to honor him behind the position he played and mastered. And especially when fan anger with the organization is already at a boiling point this season. The team is off to a terrible start, did nothing to improve over the offseason and has had just six winning seasons over the past 35 years.
The organization is not going to get any benefit of the doubt from anybody, and this is just another reminder of that. It is also another reminder that no team seems to go out of its way to make more unforced errors than the Pirates. Both on the field and off of it.
