Juan Costa, age 14, of Chester, Pa., for his question:

WHY DO WE REMEMBER ROBERTO CLEMENTE?

Roberto Clemente was one of the greatest baseball players in history. He won four National League batting titles and had a lifetime batting average of .317. In 1966 he also won the league's Most Valuable Player award.

A great Puerto Rican athlete, Clemente played on 12 National League All Star teams during his 18 year career. He played right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates and also won fame for his excellent fielding and throwing as well as his outstanding hitting.

Clemente helped lead the Pirates to World Series victories in 1960 and 1971. He never went hitless in a World Series game and he was named the outstanding player of the 1971 series.

On Sept. 30, 1972, just three months before his death, Clemente became the 11th man in major league history to get 3,000 hits.

Born in Puerto Rico in 1934, Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while flying to aid earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.