Twenty-one

Okay, so this makes post number 21 out of 48 and I feel good about it. I would like to dedicate this post to the number 21. It is my favorite and one of the lucky ones. It is a number with it's own mystique and character. In sports, all the good players know to wear 21 on their jersey.

In Pittsburgh sports lore, the number 21 is retired twice and for good cause. Roberto Clemente first wore the number in Pittsburgh as the Pirates right fielder. He was courageous on the field and really hustled during his games, of course that also increases a players chance for injury. He was always truthful to the media about how he was feeling, but some people in the 60s weren't kind to him. In his prime, he was very under-appreciated. Today, he is heralded as a hero because he died trying to give back to his home country in the Caribbean. Accolades he never got when he was alive.

The other player to wear 21 was Michel Briere. He only played one year for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL. In 69-70 season, he amassed 44 points in 67 games. He however died in a car crash that summer and we never got to see what he could have been like.