Through March 18 – Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente
How do you sum up the life of a legend? In the world of baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente’s greatest accomplishments came in the form of stats (more than 3,000 hits), accolades (12 Gold Glove awards, a posthumous Baseball Hall of Fame induction) and big-game victories (two World Series wins). But most would agree that Clemente’s legacy extends clear out of the park walls (well beyond the disgraced, juiced-up players mucking among today’s baseball diamonds). He often stepped out of the batter’s box, becoming a champion for Latino American advocacy and self-effacing humanitarian efforts, as depicted in this Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. The two-month showcase offers a bilingual, scrapbook-esque ode to “The Great One” with historical photos, in-person stories with former teammate and friend Steve Blass, a screening of a Jose Ferrer-narrated documentary film about Clemente and a live, tribute mural painting by Hector “Nicer” Nazario in Heritage Square. Major leaguers take note: This is the stuff of legends. – Aimee Vitek
This article appears in Jan 18-24, 2012.