Fandom reaches new heights in Pittsburgh, City of Champions
PITTSBURGH— It’s a numbers game for sports fans in Pittsburgh. No. 87: Sidney Crosby; No. 66: Mario Lemieux. But in this sports-mad town known for its top-rated football, hockey and baseball teams, it’s No. 21 that’s a cut above the rest.
Yes, Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 remains the bestselling number for Pirate baseball fans. They idolize this legendary player: the first Latino player to make it big in the major leagues, considered by many as the most complete player to have ever played the game. It was while on a humanitarian air flight from his home in Puerto Rico that he lost his life in 1972.
The Roberto Clemente Museum, located in a funky 1925 firehouse in the Lawrenceville District just east of the Strip is more than a mere warehouse of his memorabilia. Every sport of importance in Pittsburgh is showcased here, along with the history of the firehall. There are autographed baseballs and uniforms from sports heroes from across the board here. In one display that becomes an American flag (I know it sounds weird, but it works), there are baseballs autographed by football, baseball and hockey stars from the city’s sporting past.
From the sublime to the ridiculous to the outrageous, you can see Clemente’s World Series rings, a replica of the scoreboard in the unexpected 1960 World Series victory, and even a receipt from an expensive furniture store in NYC that had originally banned him from even browsing.
And speaking of the 1960 World Series, it is still so important to the town’s sporting crowd that an obituary I read in Pittsburgh mentioned that the elderly man had attended the seventh game of that great series, when the upstart Pirates defeated the heavily favoured Yankees. Not surprisingly, baseball cards, cereal boxes and bobble heads showing the great Clemente are here but the depth of the memorabilia is endless.
Who knew that a young Roberto Clemente played for Montreal, eight years after Jackie Robinson? Even his Montreal uniform is on display. Speaking of Montreal, the seat that Willie Stargell’s home run struck in 1978 at the Olympic Stadium is there too — forever marking the only ball to have ever reached the upper deck of the Big O. Heck, even the basement plays an ongoing role in sports history here. It is now a private club where Penguin players come to chill out.
This is a must-visit for Pittsburgh sports fans and those curious to know what makes sports fanatics here tick. And it helps you remember how the city earned its nickname: the City of Champions.