ROBERTO CLEMENTE
by Bill Neal, For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—The game clock stands at 1:01 left in the game. Sixty-one slim seconds. The ball is hiked and immediately pressure up the middle flushes you to your left away from the pocket. You look toward the sideline and spy Najee Harris streaking toward the goal line. Across your body you throw a rocket to a spot where no one is yet, relying on all the football knowledge you’ve acquired in your years of playing quarterback. At the crucial last second Najee Harris thrusts his hands above his helmet and grabs the ball from the air and scores the touchdown. The scoreboard reads “Steelers 16 Ravens 13.” Your team is still in the hunt for a playoff spot after starting the season 2-6. Kenny Pickett has moved the needle steadily upward. Legacies.
:09—Najee Harris—22 carries for 111 yards, a 5.0 average and, of course, the game-winning touchdown catch. Jaylen Warren—12 carries for 76 yards and a 6.3 yards-per-carry average, seemingly chewing up vital yards and getting first downs at will. As a team the Steelers pounded the #3 ranked Ravens rush defense for 198 yards. The O-line at times seemed to bludgeon the Ravens’ vaunted D-line like the Steelers of old. I earnestly believe a little Franco magic was in the air as he looked down on the field with a big smile. Legacies.
:08—Over the last six games the Steelers defense has not given up more than 17 points. The Steelers are 5-1 in those six games and at times it feels like there’s three of Cam Heyward on the field and at least five of Minkah Fitzpatrick. Also Minkah’s sixth interception ties him for the NFL lead in interceptions. Anyone still think we gave up too much to acquire this All-Pro safety? No, didn’t think so. And one big shoutout to Robert Spillane who led the Steelers with nine tackles and is becoming a formidable presence in the middle of the field. He seems to be some sort of throwback to linebackers like Mike Lucci and Chris Hanburger, hard-nosed, tough SOB’s that did their job, got dirty and gave a runner a tremendous whack upside the head every now and again. Legacies.
:07—People looking for Kenny Pickett to come out guns a-blazing, throw 59 passes for 394 yards and 4 touchdowns have not been paying attention to Coach Mike Tomlin’s approach to the offense all season. It’s about putting Kenny in a position to succeed late in a close game where the defense has held the opposing team under 20 points. Coach Tomlin has tightened the reigns a bit since all the early interceptions and Pickett has responded in kind. The stats aren’t gaudy but the ball has not been turned over much lately and as the O-line has begun to be a road paving crew, the running game has also increased production. The Steelers are 8-8 and still have an outside chance at the playoffs as we enter the final game against the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 8. With it realistically being a transition season from a Hall of Fame QB to a rookie QB, I truly can’t complain. Coach Tomlin kept this team together after the abysmal start and they at least have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe the guy actually knows what he’s doing and is building a tough, sleek team that will be playoff ready in the coming seasons. Legacies.
:06—T.J. Watt—The Steelers are 7-2 with T.J. Watt in the lineup, 1-6 without him. T.J. has played banged-up all season with aches and pains that would easily fell the average man. Yet each and every Sunday since he returned to the lineup, T.J. has been bandaged and taken some aspirin and willed himself onto the football field. 7-2. Legacies.
:05—Special shoutout to the Pitt Panthers men’s basketball team and especially Head Coach Jeff Capel for turning a 3-3 start into a 10-4 record so far and a stellar win against No. 23 North Carolina on Dec. 30, 2022. With 22 points and 13 rebounds from Armando Bacot for the Tar Heels, Pitt held together and North Carolina tight, down-to-the-wire victory that has our Panthers atop the ACC at the moment. Go Panthers. Legacies.
:04—We would be remiss if we didn’t also shout out to the Pitt Panthers football team and their comeback victory against the No. 18 UCLA Bruins, 37-35. With a lineup devoid of the starting D-line and superstar running back Israel Abanikanda, Head Coach Pat Narduzzi devised a game plan that relied on every single player that played a snap and those players responded in kind. There were no eye-popping stats on the Panthers side but there was discipline, heart and sticking to the game plan. It all spelled out victory for the Panthers and showed the tenacity of a program that was once thought dead in the water. A tip of the hat to Coach Narduzzi. Legacies.
:03—I had to laugh when I saw a commercial about the upcoming Pittsburgh Pirates and the team they are building for this year and beyond. Bryan Reynolds, run for your life. These aren’t your 1960, ‘71 or ‘79 Pirates who were truly legacies. It’s the opposite direction with this disgraceful ownership.
:02—Pele was, is and will always be the greatest soccer player of all-time, the only man to win 3 World Cups, and will be remembered for all the work he did to promote soccer worldwide and help make it the global phenomenon it is today. Pele was never too busy to stop and chat up a group of kids and show them a few things with a soccer ball and his unbridled enthusiasm for all things soccer made him the perfect ambassador to bring soccer more into the limelight here in the United States. A great, great man who will truly be missed. Legacies.
:01—Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, was the 50th anniversary of the death of Roberto Clemente, the greatest Pirate, the greatest right fielder in the game with his 12 Gold Gloves and the most phenomenal throwing arm MLB has ever seen. Roberto, as we all know, got his 3,000th hit on his final at-bat against the Mets’ Jon Matlack, sealing his Hall of Fame induction, was the 1971 World Series MVP in defeating the Baltimore Orioles and their four 20-game winning pitchers, hit safely in all 14 World Series games he played, a record that still stands, and won 1 MVP, 4 batting titles and left us with a lifetime .317 batting average, truly a superstar on the field. What also sets apart the first Puerto Rican legend was his incredible charity work he did over the entirety of his career. Roberto never said no when it came to acquiring and delivering goods, sports equipment, food, whatever was needed across the entire Latin American and Caribbean countries so close to his heart. He died in a plane crash delivering much needed supplies to an earthquake ravaged Nicaragua on December 31st, 1972, his humanity never more on display then when he made the ultimate sacrifice to help those most in need. He will never be forgotten for his athletic prowess and for his unwavering commitment to help others. Legacies.
:00—GAME OVER.
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