Roberto Clemente Signature "Bob"

[Jim65]

I'm wondering, did Topps try to Anglicize any other players names.

I see Roberto Pena and Roberto Rodriguez were named Roberto on their 1960's Topps cards, so obviously there was no giant conspiracy to eliminate the Robertos of the world.

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by Jim65

I'm wondering, did Topps try to Anglicize any other players names.

I see Roberto Pena and Roberto Rodriguez were named Roberto on their 1960's Topps cards, so obviously there was no giant conspiracy to eliminate the Robertos of the world.

I’ m not sure if Topps was the reason but Vic Power is really Vic Pellot. In fact, he played in the PR Winter League as Vic Pellot.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by EddieP

I’ m not sure if Topps was the reason but Vic Power is really Vic Pellot. In fact, he played in the PR Winter League as Vic Pellot.

This name has nothing to do with Topps and the Power name predates Topps.



I can’t find any evidence that Topps was renaming people to be
assholes, or even renaming people at all (who all continued to sign with them every year for basically nothing). I’m sure some evidence will come up soon. Any minute now. Yep.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

This name has nothing to do with Topps and the Power name predates Topps.



I can’t find any evidence that Topps was renaming people to be
assholes, or even renaming people at all (who all continued to sign with them every year for basically nothing). I’m sure some evidence will come up soon. Any minute now. Yep.

It is interesting though, as I pointed out, that every other manufacturer called him Roberto throughout the same period; at least as far as I can tell.

[cgjackson222]

Not from Clemente's mouth, but his friend Osvaldo Gil says in this video that Roberto Clemente didn't want to be called Bob at 20:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwGfbgg88fY

[frankbmd]

Calling him Bobbyo should satisfy both sides.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Not from Clemente's mouth, but his friend Osvaldo Gil says in this video that Roberto Clemente didn't want to be called Bob at 20:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwGfbgg88fY

This is a piece of actual evidence.

~Ten seconds before it, Dick Groat calls him Bobby.

For: Osvaldo Gil says in this documentary that he corrected people who called him Bob or Bobby to Roberto.

Against: Similar testimony of several teammates and Pirates, Bartirome's foremost. That he sometimes signed his name as Bob. That he continued to give Topps his rights for almost nothing even as they called him Bob, as many people did.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

This is a piece of actual evidence.

~Ten seconds before it, Dick Groat calls him Bobby.

For: Osvaldo Gil says in this documentary that he corrected people who called him Bob or Bobby to Roberto.

Against: Similar testimony of several teammates and Pirates, Bartirome's foremost. That he sometimes signed his name as Bob. That he continued to give Topps his rights for almost nothing even as they called him Bob, as many people did.

It could be he was OK with people with whom he was close calling him Bob or Bobby but not with the world in general. I would get that if it was true. My family always called me Pete but I never went by that otherwise.