Hello to all my dear friends of the Scorum Community:

Today I bring you a first post of the series "The trunk of memories" referring to players who participated in the Venezuelan League and who became MLB Great Players.


Play Ball...




Pete Rose:

More than 50 years have passed since Pete Rose showed all his strength in the bases in the playing fields of Venezuelan baseball, but this American player remembers those experiences as if they had happened yesterday; this, according to an interview that he granted in 2011 to a Venezuelan newspaper.

"First of all, I remember how enthusiastic the Venezuelan fans were on the winter Baseball" said the "King of the Hit" to Venezuelan Newspaper, via telephone from the United States. "The second thing was that we had a very good team with Leones del Caracas."

And is that Los Leones del Caracas added to his roster of the 1964-1965 season the winner of the Rookie of the Year award of the National League of 1963.

Rose, then 24, highlighted the teammates he had in the country, from whom he learned some secrets that helped him become a better player: "I played with 'Vic' (Víctor Davalillo), César Tovar, 'Dammy' (Damaso Blanco), all Venezuelans and good players," he said. "American players can take advantage of the good players and good competition they have in Venezuela, if you're going to work hard and play the right way."

In Venezuela, Pete Rose had a .351 average (185-65), with 41 runs scored, 11 doubles, a triple, five home Runs and 19 RBIs in 44 games with Los Leones del Caracas, who lost the final against Tiburones de La Guaira.

"I played strong in that winter. I went with a goal, a mission, and I fulfilled it, because when I came back from Venezuela it was that I started hitting 200 hits, over 300 per season and winning big league batting titles. " recognized "And that was because I learned to bat in Venezuela."

The slugger hit .273 in his rookie year and .269 the following year, before plahed with Leones del Caracas. Since then he averaged over .300 for nine consecutive years and in 14 of his next 15 campaigns; he added 10 seasons of 200 or more hits and won three batting crowns in the National League. To complete, he broke the record for most hits in the MLB and became the "King of Hit, with a total of 4.256 hits, but is not included in the Hall of Fame of Cooperstown for a lifetime suspension received by the Commissioner of the Major Leagues in 1989, Bart Giammati, for betting on baseball.

"I made some mistakes," he summarized. "I can not blame more than myself."   In spite of that, he is more than satisfied by what he achieved in his career and very grateful for his experience in the Venezuelan Winter Baseball.

"I played as hard as I possibly could. I went there to work on something, I came back from Venezuela and in the next 10 or 11 years I batted about .300" he added. "I learned how to play baseball in Venezuela, working with Regino Otero, who was our manager, and Pompeyo Davalillo, who was our third base coach. When we did not play, we practiced daily. I became a good player because of what I did in Venezuela"  These statements demonstrate the high degree of humility that Pete Rose possesses.

The debate about the player's forgiveness and his potential entry to the Hall of Fame, is a theme that is always present in the world of baseball.

Rose has had the courage to acknowledge her mistakes and repent of them. And that's worth it. He is a human being, and as such his actions as a person have not been perfect... But let's be clear. Cooperstown is not a Temple of Saints, it is a place reserved to honor the best players in the history of MLB. And Rose is one of them.

Does he deserve forgiveness? My opinion is: YES... Three reasons make him worthy of forgiveness: recognize his mistakes, repent of them and for being one of the best players of all time.

It has been a pleasure to have shared with you this first Post of "The trunk of memories"

Greetings,

CJAO20