Roberto Clemente (Baseball)
Roberto Clemente Walker was born August 1, 1934 in Carolina,
Puerto Rico and became one of the greatest players to play in the major
leagues. Roberto signed a contract with the Santurce Crabbers of the Puerto
Rican League. In a954 Roberto signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers but later the
Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the major league draft of unprotected
players.
Roberto won many batting crowns. In 1961, Roberto won the N.L.
Batting crown with a .351 average. He hit 23 homers, scored 100 runs, and
had over 200 hits. In 964 he won the batting crown again with a .339
average. He won the batting championship in 1965 with a .329 average.
He was named NL MVP again in 1966 with a .317 average, 29
homers, 119 RBI’s, and scored 105 runs. Roberto won his fourth and final
batting championship with an amazing .357 average in 1967. In a971, he won
the World Series MVP after leading the Pirates to an amazing comeback in
seven games over the Baltimore Orioles.
Roberto won his 12th Gold Glove in 1972 and gets his
final base hit of his career against the Mets in September 1972. The hit was
his 3,000th.
“The Great One” died in a plane crash of the coast of San Juan,
Puerto Rico. He was on a relief mission to help earthquake victims in
Nicaragua. “The Great One” died 18 years to the date of his brother’s
passing, which was December 31, 1972. He was inducted into Baseball’s Hall
of Fame in February 1972. His uniform number, 21, was retired on April 16th,
1973. His son Luis resides in Puerto Rico and maintains the Roberto Clemente
Stadium including a foundation named for his dad.
Livingstone Bramble (Boxing)
Livingstone “Ras-L Bramble, a
native of Saint Kitts, Virgin Islands will join Virgin Islands Julian “The
Hawk” Jackson in the Caribbean Hall of Fame as boxers. Livingstone, now a
resident of Las Vegas, has been a professional boxer since October 1980 when
he made his debut with a KO of Jesus Serrano in Totoway, New Jersey.
His current record 24-3 (25 KO’s) is a little misleading. He
started like a house on fire. From 1981 to 1984, he won the WBA Lightweight
Title with a 14 round knockout of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, he was 20-1 with
8 of those wins coming in his second year as a pro, 1981, all in New Jersey.
Livingstone successfully defended the WBA title twice. One in
rematch with Mancini and then against Tyrone Crawley who he TKO’d in 13
rounds. Those fights were held in Reno, Nevada. Edwin Rosario relieved
Bramble of the WBA Title when he KO’d him in 12 rounds. That would be the
last major title Ras-l would claim.
In 1988, Bramble fought Freddie Pendleton for the USBA
Lightweight Title only to loose in 10 rounds. A year later Bramble fought
and KO’d Harold Brazier in 2 for the NABL Crown. He would defend and get a
win against Kenny Vice before loosing the title to Santo Cardona in 1990. He
resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Livingstone Bramble comes home to the Virgin
Islands.
Elmo Plaskett (Baseball)
Elmo Plaskett had only two cups of coffee in the major leagues,
but those brief stints barely hint at the full picture of a talented hitter
who was devoted to baseball all his life. Plaskett, who passed away in
November 1998 at the age of 60, was a legend in Ponce, Puerto Rico as well
as the Virgin Islands.
Elmo was also a selfless man who has his utmost to help local youth. Elmo
started as a pitcher but played every position during his minor-league
career. He earned his call-up with a memorable 1962 season in Ashville,
North Carolina.
A columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times wrote a warm tribute to the man
they called mighty Mo. “A muscular fellow with the broadest grin in the
Sally League and part of the most dreaded one-two-three punch the league has
ever known.
In a race decided by a microtone, he beat future three-time AL
batting champ Tony Oliva, .34979 to .34978, and was named Player of the
Year. Plaskett, not only was slender, he was skinny..he couldn’t have
weighed 160 pounds as the opening day pitcher at Jamestown, NY (Class D) in
1957. His coach, Tom Butters called Elmo “really one of the great people,
players and characters that ever played the game.”
In the middle of 1962, he was so locked in he could hit anybody.
Elmo’s lone big-league homer affected the pennant race. In his first start
on September 17th he hit a three-run shot off the right-field
pole at Forbes Field of Mike McCormick. He led the Puerto Rican League in
hits and triples and became the Triple Crown winner in 1958-59 for Ponce.
Carl Ermer, who later led the Minnesota Twins (1967-68), was Elmo’s skipper
for the Triple Crown year. Ermer states flatly, “never in my 57 years of pro
baseball, have I seen a young hitter as good as Elmo was.” It is hard to
overstate how greatly so many friends miss him. His family resides in St.
Croix, Puerto Rico and Miami.
Victor Ebbesen (Tennis)
Vic, as he is known in the Islands, enjoyed two careers in the
Virgin Islands—the first as a V.I. Government official ranging from Clerk,
to Director of Personnel & Administration of the Government Employees
Retirement System; and the second-competitor, local and national champion,
to nationally certified Teaching Pro and Racquet Stringer.
Vic taught his wife of 51 years and three now adult children to play tennis
so well that they all enjoy the game and have competed at various levels.
His credentials include the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, the U.S.
Racquet Stringers Association respectively.
He led the formation of St. Thomas Tennis Association, furthered
its combination with the St. Croix Tennis Association into the Virgin
Islands Tennis Association (VITA) and then further combination with the
Puerto Rico Tennis Association (CTA), which is a formal Section of the U.S.
Tennis Association USTA).
He served as Tennis Director of the Cowpet Bay Tennis Club, a
3-court facility on St. Thomas for 15 years. His wins in competition include
a Puerto Rico No. 7 ranking in singles and No. 3 doubles with Leo Barbel of
the Open category. No. 1 in both singles and doubles of the 35 & over, as
well as the Senior 45 category. He also won the 65 and over Singles of the
American Tennis Association (ATA) in New Orleans, LA in 1990.
He has been honored with the 1985 CTA Family of the Year, and in
2001 by PRTA with a Certificate of Appreciation. He has played local
exhibitions with such world-class players as Don Budge, Bil Talbert, Neal
Fraser, Ron Holmberg, Karol Fageros, and Althea Gibson.
Vic resides in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and at the age of 77
still plays twice-weekly doubles, notwithstanding his two artificial knees
replacements and his two plastic lenses for cataracts, with whom else but
his champion partner, Leo Barbel.
