Roberto Clemente's Most Unique Fan

Pirates second baseman Neil Walker is one of the team's bright young stars. And he's bonded in a special way with Pittsburgh baseball icon Roberto Clemente.
Walker's dad Tom was Clemente's winter ball teammate and friend. On December 31st, 1972, he was in Puerto Rico helping Roberto load supplies bound for Nicaraguan earthquake victims. He planned to join his teammate on the humanitarian mission, but was talked out of it by Clemente, who told him to go home and enjoy the holiday with his family -- a decision that saved Tom Walker's life more than a decade before Neil was born. USA TODAY has the full story.Nice to see Walker doing well in his first full major league season. Just a year ago, I caught him playing for Triple-A Indianapolis against Lehigh Valley.

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