Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The baseball newsletter that combines 15 internet tabs into a quick, 5-minute email.

Let’s dive in.

Today’s story is about the tragic death of a baseball icon.

Roberto Clemente ended his career with exactly 3,000 hits.

He was one of the most prolific ballplayers of all time and basically a saint in his home country of Puerto Rico.

But more importantly, he was a truly kind human being who left a lasting impact on the world.

Clemente was signed in 1954 by the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates picked him up in the rule 5 draft.

From there on out, he played his entire career in Pittsburgh.

Clemente wasn't just a great ballplayer, though.

He was also a humanitarian who used his celebrity status to raise awareness about social issues.

When a devastating earthquake hit Nicaragua in 1972, Clemente organized a relief effort to send supplies to those in need.

Very little aid was getting to victims so Clemente decided to collect supplies on his own and personally deliver them.

Things went sideways when Clemente met Arthur Rivera.

Rivera had acquired an old and rundown DC-7 propeller plane, in addition to the DC-3 he already operated for cargo transport in the Caribbean.

Many people questioned why Rivera made the purchase, the DC-7 couldn’t even fly - it had to be ferried from Miami to Puerto Rico.

He gave the plane a new paint job, but didn’t make any significant upgrades to the engine.

Unfortunately, it was nothing new, Rivera had a habit of doing this kind of thing and was repeatedly cited for safety violations in previous years.

Rivera tested the engine of the DC-7 on December 2 but forgot to close the hydraulic pump and crashed the plane into a drainage ditch.

There was damage to the landing gear and two propeller blades - these were only partially repaired before the December 31 flight.

Arthur and Clemente crossed paths at San Juan International Airport.

Clemente had more goods than he could fit on the plane he had available, so he looked for someone that could take the extra cargo.

The opportunist in rivera couldn’t resist and he offered to fly the supplies to Nicaragua for $4,000 even though he knew the plane was not in good condition.

Once Clemente said approved, Rivera scrambled to find a pilot, and nailed down Jerry Hill - then they loaded the plane.

It was learned after the fact that the aircraft had been loaded over max capacity.

It’s likely that Hill, who had 30 years of flying experience, noticed the issues with the plane, but decided to ignore them.

It only got 200 feet off the ground before exploding.

Unfortunately, Roberto’s body was never found.

The worst thing about this story is that it could have easily been prevented - Clemente was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and more importantly, trusted the wrong person.

But even after his death, his legacy lives on and he continues to inspire us.

GOAT’s Only

Over the years, this painting has gone SUPER viral.

It's The Greatest All Stars Dream Scene, commissioned by a collector, with some of the most legendary players to ever step foot on a diamond.

The setting is July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park where the first-ever All Star game was played.

The original oil on canvas is 84 x 72 inches, and took three years to complete.

I've got one framed and hung up in my house, and every day it reminds me of how lucky I am to have watched some of these guys play.

Jamie has worked with MLB to make a print version available, and he has been gracious enough to give our community a special deal.

Use the code: DEADLEGENDS to get $15 off your purchase.

Strange Names

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Tommy’s big league career wasn’t anything to brag about.

But you’ve got one of his baseball cards in your collection, you can get about 13 bucks for it.

Over the span of three years, he never won a game, although he did pick up one save.

He spent most of his time in the minors and wrapped up his career in ‘78.

The Dead Legends Archive

If you like this story, check out some of our past favorites:

• The Golden Thong: Jeter's secret slump buster

• The Seagull: Dave Winfield gets arrested

• The Bomb Threat: From pinstripes to a prison cell

That's it for today. Tomorrow we're back at it like a bad habit. See ya!

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