If Your Birthday is April 14th...

 ...you share it with Pete Rose, baseball's alltime leader in hits -- as well as denials or compromise for the gambling problem that led to his banishment from MLB more than a third of a century ago.  Much of what made him so appealing as a player, especially his tenacity, led "Charlie Hustle" to the dark side -- violating the game's most sacred rule by betting on games, but also to being a less than ideal husband, parent and having intimate relations with those far from his own age.  Being tenacious and hyper-focused can make one a better athlete; lacking humility helps undermine the accomplishment.

We're a forgiving society; when someone admits having a problem or disease, as compulsive gambling is, forgiveness and second chances are often forgiving.  But in never seeking middle ground with then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti (and his successor Fay Vincent), Pete became his own worst enemy -- leading to his lifetime suspension and ineligibility for Cooperstown.

Baseball fans, and Pete himself, have been denied the benefit of his legacy ever since.

Also sharing 4/14 with Number 14:

Greg Maddux, the greatest righthanded pitcher in Braves history and the backbone of staff that featured fellow Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.  Never the biggest, fastest or most intimidating presence on the mound, he just might have been the smartest -- earning 355 victories in his 23 seasons, 13 of which landed in the playoffs.

>Ironically, Maddux shares his birthday with the pitcher who, had fate been kinder, could have been the fourth all time legend on that 1990s Atlanta staff -- Steve Avery, an 18-game winner in 1991 and '93, before being sidetracked by injuries.

(My image of Pete Rose is from June 2014 when he served as "Manager for a Day" with the Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish.)