Crisis in the Land of Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente died on a humanitarian mission.

The story is legendary.

When Nicaragua was rocked by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on December 23, 1972, a day before Nochebuena — or Christmas Eve — Clemente took it upon himself to support relief efforts.

Nicaragua was not Clemente’s homeland, but his fellow Latinos were suffering.

When Clemente heard the call, he moved into action. And so did his homeland of Puerto Rico.

He organized a collection drive and Puerto Ricans from throughout the island donated food, clothing and other supplies. Clemente chartered several planes to transport the aid to Nicaragua. Partly because of reports that the supplies were not getting to the earthquake victims, he decided to jump on a flight leaving on Dec. 31, tragically dying when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff from San Juan.

Now it’s the land of Clemente that is in a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

How will we respond?

María Devastates Puerto Rico

Hurricane María made landfall on September 20 as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, one of the most devastating and powerful storms in history.

Seven weeks have passed since María unleashed its fury on Puerto Rico.

Life on the island is far from normal.

Speaking last week with La Vida Baseball before his third trip to Puerto Rico, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., noted that nearly 700,000 Puerto Ricans were left homeless by María. A native of San Sebastian who grew up in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Gutiérrez was struck by the profound destruction across the mountainous regions of the island in towns such as Comerío and Utuado.

While heartened by the resilience of his countrymen, the congressman admitted that Puerto Rico faces a long road to recovery. Not only is the island burdened by a $74 billion debt crisis, island authorities estimate hurricane damages anywhere from $45 to $95 billion.

Gutiérrez recommended to Puerto Ricans living in stateside communities to “bring your loved ones home to you. Take them out of danger and to a safe place until things get better.”

Indeed, the stats are both staggering and befuddling.

According to the daily updates provided by the Puerto Rican government, 83 percent of the island’s water meters are working without specifying how many households or people actually have potable water — water safe enough to drink. The Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewers Authority — better known by its Spanish-language acronym AAA — admitted last week that there were still towns in the interior of the island without running water.

And then there remains the issue of power.

Staggered by Hurricane Irma, the entire island’s electrical grid was knocked out by Maria.

Word that power was slowly being restored across the island came with a bit of sobering news. Initially interpreted as the percentage of households con luz, or “light” as Puerto Ricans call electricity, government officials clarified that their statistic — 42 percent as of Tuesday — was rather the percentage of power generated in the grid in comparison to a typical day last year.

The explanation drove home the fact that — at 49 days and counting — the island is nowhere near the end of the longest blackout in American history.

Traveling around the island remains difficult. Most challenging is getting to and from the mountainous central region, once lush with greenery and vegetation, laid waste by María. Its powerful winds averaged 123 mph as the hurricane slowly made its way across the island.

Communication remains at best sporadic and nearly impossible for many of the islanders without significant effort. While 87 percent of cell towers have been restored, only half are actually working.

Life is not the same on la isla de Borinquen; and it may never be the same.

“For some, the devastation of the hurricane, the slowness of the federal response, has been an inconvenience to their everyday lives. Yet for others, it has put their life in peril, every day,” Gutiérrez said.

An Island of Baseball

Puerto Rico still remains the land of Clemente, the patron saint of Latino baseball.

The island is 100 miles by 35 miles with a population of 3.4 million, much smaller than its Caribbean cousins Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In the history of baseball, however, it looms larger because of Clemente, and its status as the home of three other Hall of Famers born in Puerto Rico.

Orlando “Cha Cha” Cepeda hails from Ponce, la Perla del Sur, or the Pearl of the South.

Roberto Alomar from Salinas.

Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez from Vega Baja.

A total of 263 players born on the island have reached the major leagues, starting with Hiram Bithorn in 1942 and Luis Rodríguez Olmo in 1943. The total increases to more than 350 when you count the children and grandchildren of Puerto Ricans born in the States, players like John Candelaria — the first boricua to throw a no-hitter — and Edgar Martínez — a lifetime .312 hitter and candidate for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum — as well as the new manager of the Washington Nationals, Dave Martínez.

After Sept. 20, Puerto Rico was on the mind of every player with a connection to the island, to the point that, as the Dodgers’ Enrique “Kiké” Hernández told La Vida Baseball, playing the game was actually a relief, even as his team prepared for the postseason and the World Series.

Since the season ended, many have been on the ground in the island to lend support, using their platforms to collect supplies and provide comfort and relief to their fellow Puerto Ricans. They have used social media as a space to raise funds and share information.

Enduring Example

As we turn from the excitement of the playoffs and the World Series to the offseason, La Vida Baseball will be covering the efforts in Puerto Rico through our own version of the three R’s:

• Relief
• Recovery
• Rebuild

We will focus on how life and baseball in the Land of Clemente has changed in the aftermath of Hurricane María. How are the Clementes — the first family of Puerto Rican baseball — faring? What’s the status of the retired MLB players on the island? How much did the hurricane damage the Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente sports complex and the island’s baseball infrastructure? Will the Puerto Rican winter league play be able to start play?

This, in addition to reporting on the efforts by the players, teams and MLB as a whole as they collaborate with relief agencies and governmental and nongovernmental organizations to assist Puerto Rico in its recovery and the rebuilding of the Land of Clemente.

We have already witnessed players and clubs respond to the call.

The Pittsburgh Pirates honored Clemente’s memory by delivering 460,000 pounds of relief supplies via charter jet.

The Houston Astros, under the direction of owner Jim Crane, have chartered several planes to transport supplies and bring back Puerto Ricans with serious medical issues.

Carlos Beltrán, the elder statesman among the 28 players from the island that performed in the majors this season, pledged $1 million just hours after the devastation became clear.

“To Carlos Beltrán, I want to say: ‘Thank you.’ I was at Comerío when the lanterns arrived that you helped make sure got to those in need there. You are following the example of Clemente,” Gutiérrez said.

Dennis Martínez, all-time winningest Latino pitcher in MLB history, knows the importance of stepping up. The Nicaraguan native saw firsthand what Clemente inspired while helping his homeland.

“He means everything, because Roberto Clemente showed us what a kind of man he was, what kind of human being he was, to just give up his life to try to help us after the earthquake that we had in 1972 in Nicaragua,” Martínez said.

That legacy is an enduring example for all Latinos, especially ballplayers.

“He was a great example for all Latino players, just like Jackie Robinson was for the black people here in the United States,” Martínez said. “Roberto Clemente was the icon for the Spanish-speaking players and us as a whole because what he showed was humanity. He was able to leave his family behind to help a different country. And unfortunately, he gave up his life.”

The land of Clemente is in crisis. And there is no better way to honor his legacy than to help his island and his people in their time of greatest need.

Featured Image: Mario Tama / Getty Images News