According to the last White Sox game I watched, Omar Vizquel is one hit shy from tying Luis Aparicio for second all-time in hits by a shortstop. I knew Vizquel was getting up there, but I had no idea he was 43, or that he's the oldest position player in the majors.

I'm trying to remember a time when Vizquel wasn't playing in the majors. It seems like the guy was around forever, and that's probably because he has been. He showed promise in his stint with the Mariners, but is it any coincidence that Vizquel's arrival in Cleveland was start of the Indians' resurgence? He was the final piece of the puzzle in breaking the curse of Rocky Colavito.

Like many Venezuelan shortstops, Vizquel wore the number 13 throughout his career. He and his current skipper, Ozzie Guillen, both wore the number in honor of Dave Concepcion. Now, a new generation of players, such as Asdrubal Cabrera, wear lucky 13 in their honor. But of course, Vizquel couldn't wear it when he came to the Sox, because Guillen's already got it.

The solution? Ask Aparicio if he could wear number 11. Only Vizquel would have the cojones to do that. And Luis said yes. So now, for the second time in team history, a number has come out of retirement. The first was Harold Baines's number 3, and it was unretired so Harold could use it again when he came back from the Orioles.

But it's fitting that these two great shortstops are now linked with a common uniform. It's hard to find a better pairing than those two. They are each other's statistically most similar batters, and heroes to generations of Venezuelans. Aparicio is the only Venezuelan in the Hall of Fame, and some day Vizquel (and Concepcion) should join him.

Vizquel is scheduled to start Saturday's White Sox/Yankees game. Let's hope he gets hit number 2,673 today.

Is there a Legendary Lineage card in the 2010 Topps set with Vizquel and Aparicio? If so, I want one. If not, then why the hell not?