Is Pete Rose Back in HOF Contention?

Today is the birthday of Luis Aparicio, born in Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. 

Over a career ranging from 1956 to 1973, he’d distinguish himself as one of the best shortstops ever — winning 13 All-Star selections, 9 Gold Gloves, leading the American League in stolen bases 9 times, and capping off his career with the honor of being the first Venezuelan elected to the Hall of Fame. But the goal Aparicio cared most about in his career was a deeply personal one. 

Aparicio grew up in a household obsessed with baseball. His uncle Ernesto had been a coach, manager, and team owner, and his own father Luis Sr., was among the first true stars of the sport in Venezuela. The two of them taught Luis Jr. everything they knew, and afforded him access to big names who visited to play in the country by getting him a job as a bat boy. He soaked it all up. 

All the same, his mother was distraught when he announced to his family he would quit school to pursue baseball professionally. His father just told him, “Son, if you are going to play baseball for a living, you will have to be number one always.”

That winter, during Venezuela’s first national tournament, his father took one pitch from Howie Fox, walked back to the dugout, and handed his son his bat. The 7,000 person crowd gave a 15-minute standing ovation recognizing Luis Sr. for his 20-year career. Arapicio later said that, “I knew about the expectations people had everywhere I stepped on a field. I just had to be as great as my father, otherwise people would consider me a total deception”. 

His father’s words bounced around in Aparicio’s head throughout his career. When he got news that he’d been called up to play for the White Sox in 1956, he wrote his mother a tearful letter, telling her to say his ‘debt’ to his father had been paid. And even much later in life, when asked about his greatest accomplishments, Aparicio said that all he wanted was for his father to be proud of him, “and I know he definitely was. That’s the achievement of my life.”

Mile-High B-Day, Pete Rose News, and 3D Dancing

• House of Horrors – That’s how pitchers feel about Coors field, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this past Saturday. Relive the stories here.

• MLB Gameday 3D Magic – There aren’t too many fans of the weird, kind-of motion-capture that is MLB Gameday 3D…but if there was more of this maybe there’d be a different story change.

• Pete to the HOF? – Commissioner Manfred spoke with President Donald Trump two weeks ago about, among other things, reinstating Pete Rose. The President sounded off on social media about reinstating Charlie Hustle on February 28th. Manfred said he’ll issue a ruling.

• It’s Still Early – But not so early as to begin to draw some conclusions. Take, for instance, this chart showing the biggest winners and losers from the first month of the season.

• Guardians Issue Apology to Duran – After some truly ugly jeers directed towards Duran this past Sunday, the Guardians have issued an official policy, saying they identified the fan who “violated our fan conduct policy”. 

4/30/2025

Lou Gehrig Plays Final Game

• 1939 — Lou Gehrig played in his 2,130th and final consecutive game, going hitless for the Yankees. The streak — which began in 1925 — would stand until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. Gehrig removed himself from the lineup the next day, citing his declining health. It was the first public sign of what would later be diagnosed as ALS.