YouTube Friday: El villa entrevista al gran Aurelio Rodriguez

It's been quite a while since I have done a YouTube Friday entry, so I would like to start back today. Today's entry is courtesy of Carlos Rodriguez's YouTube channel. This is his interview with Aurelio Rodriguez, who played in the Mexican League and in Major League Baseball from the 1960s-1980s. I had heard of him occasionally, and it wasn't until I met Ron LeFlore, who played on the Detroit Tigers with him in the mid-late '70s, in the summer of 2019 (I mentioned that I give tours, and he asked did I mention Aurelio Rodriguez). I am currently doing my research so I can tell people about this former Tiger. Here is what I have discovered so far. He was born in Cananea, Mexico in December 1947, one of six children. His father, Aurelio, Sr.,  played in the Mexican baseball league and told his son that if he could throw the rocks in the sandlots of his hometown as he did, he could play anywhere. He arrived in the United States in the mid-1960s, and he played for numerous teams, including the Tigers from 1971-1979, and ending his stint in the majors with Chicago in 1983. It has been said that he was a very good fielder way back when. He was a frequent and popular visitor in the Mexicantown section of Southwest Detroit, meeting with fans, signing autographs and being a positive influence on all he encountered around the Detroit area. He was killed in September 2000 after being hit by a car while walking with a friend near the El Rancho restaurant in the Mexicantown section of Detroit. The driver of that car should not have been driving due to an Aneurysm. A memorial service was held in his memory at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Southwest Detroit, and a large funeral was held in Los Mochis, Mexico, where he is buried at Panteon Municipal de Los Mochis.