Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds lineup known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the 1970s. He also had a successful stint playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won his third World Series, as well as a brief stop with the Montreal Expos. During and after his playing career, he served as the manager of the Reds from 1984 to 1989.
For other people named Pete Rose, see Pete Rose (disambiguation).Pete Rose
.303
4,256
160
1,314
412–373
.525
Rose was a switch hitter and is the all-time MLB leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215) and outs (10,328).[1] He won three World Series, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves and the Rookie of the Year Award. He also made seventeen All-Star appearances at an unequaled five positions (second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman and first baseman). Rose won both of his Gold Gloves when he was an outfielder, in 1969 and 1970.
In August 1989 (his last year as a manager and three years after retiring as a player), Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds; the charges of wrongdoing included claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. After years of public denial, Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and on the Reds.[2] The issue of his possible reinstatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains contentious throughout baseball.
In June 2015, ESPN concluded its own investigation of Rose and determined that he had bet on baseball while still a player–manager. The results of the investigation were made public, revealing the records of bets made by Rose. Federal authorities had seized the records from one of Rose's associates.[3]
Early life[edit]
Pete Rose was born April 14, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of four children born to Harry Francis "Pete" Rose and LaVerne (née Bloebaum). Encouraged by his parents to participate in sports, Rose played baseball and football at Western Hills High School.[4]
Although he was small for his age, Rose earned the starting running back position on his freshman football team. When he was not promoted to the varsity football team in his sophomore year, Rose was dejected and soon lost interest in his studies. At the end of the school year, his teachers decreed he would have to attend summer school or be held back. Rose's father decided it would be better for his son to repeat a year of school than miss a summer playing baseball, believing this would also give Rose an extra year to mature physically.
When Rose reached his senior year, he had used up his four years of sports eligibility. In the spring of 1960 he joined the Class AA team sponsored by Frisch's Big Boy of Lebanon, Ohio, in the Dayton Amateur League. Rose played catcher, second base and shortstop and compiled a .626 batting average. This would have been the pinnacle of Rose's baseball career if not for the help of his uncle, Buddy Bloebaum, a "Bird dog" scout for the Cincinnati Reds.[5] At Bloebaum's urging, the Reds, who had recently traded away a number of prospects who turned out to be very good, decided to take a chance on Rose. Upon his graduation from high school, he signed a professional contract.
Suspensions as a manager[edit]
Thirty-day suspension[edit]
On April 30, 1988, during a home game against the New York Mets, with two out in the top of the ninth inning, Mookie Wilson hit what looked like a routine ground ball to the shortstop, but the throw to first base was wide and pulled the first baseman's foot off the bag. Umpire Dave Pallone did not immediately make the safe call and the first baseman waited for the call instead of making a play at the plate, allowing Howard Johnson to score all the way from second base with what would turn out to be the game-winning run.[29] Rose vehemently argued the call and forcefully pushed the umpire twice with his shoulder and forearm, knocking Pallone several feet backward. Pallone promptly ejected Rose, as touching an umpire is grounds for immediate ejection.[30] Rose had to be forcibly restrained by his coaches as he came back at Pallone, claiming Pallone had initiated the physical contact. He can be seen in the footage of the incident pointing to his cheek, attempting to explain to umpire Eric Gregg that Pallone had poked him in the face. In his book, Pallone wrote an entire chapter on the incident and denied touching Rose, writing that NL personnel who investigated the incident later agreed with him.
In the time it took to remove Rose, Cincinnati fans began showering the field with objects that included radios and cigarette lighters. Even though the inning was not over, all of the players retreated to the dugouts. Reds' owner Marge Schott posted a message onto the electronic billboard, asking fans to stop throwing objects onto the field. After a fifteen-minute suspension of play, Pallone left the field and the game was completed with the remaining three umpires. NL president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for thirty days, which was the longest suspension levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. He also fined Rose "a substantial amount" which was not disclosed. Giamatti said, "Such incidents are not business as usual and will not be allowed to become so."
Giamatti also summoned Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall, the Reds' on-air radio announcers, to his office in New York City and chastised them for inciting the fan response with "inflammatory and completely irresponsible remarks." Giamatti told Brennaman and Nuxhall, "There is no excuse for encouraging a situation where the physical safety and well-being of any individual is put significantly at risk. Nothing justifies such unprofessional behavior."[31]
Tax evasion[edit]
On April 20, 1990, Rose entered a plea of guilty to two charges of filing false income tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs and memorabilia and from horseracing winnings. On July 19, he was sentenced to five months in the medium security prison camp at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, and fined $50,000.[52] Rose was released on January 7, 1991, after having paid $366,041 in back taxes and interest and was required to perform 1,000 hours of community service.[53][54]
Hall of Fame eligibility[edit]
On February 4, 1991, the Hall of Fame voted formally to exclude individuals on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted by way of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) vote. However, a longstanding unwritten rule already barred permanently ineligible players from enshrinement. Rose and Roberto Alomar (who was banned for sexual misconduct towards a female Toronto Blue Jays staffer) are the only living former players on the ineligible list (although former executive Chris Correa is also on the list for other infractions); Alomar was enshrined several years before his banishment, and his plaque remains in the hall. Players who were not selected by the BBWAA could be considered by the Veterans Committee in the first year after they would have lost their place on the Baseball Writers' ballot. Under the Hall's rules at the time, players could appear on the ballot for only fifteen years, beginning five years after they retired. Had he not been banned from baseball, Rose's name could have been on the writers' ballot beginning in 1992 and ending in 2006.[55] Rose would have been eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2007, but did not appear on the ballot.[55] In 2008, the Veterans Committee barred players and managers on the ineligible list from consideration.[56] Eight years later, Rose petitioned the Hall of Fame to permit his name to be submitted for induction, saying that he had not expected to be prevented from consideration when agreeing to the lifetime ban.[57]
Although he remains ineligible for the Hall of Fame, artifacts from Rose's career are on display inside the Hall's museum, located on the floor above the plaque gallery.[58] Rose was also inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2016.[59]
MLB All-Century Team[edit]
In 1999, Rose was selected as an outfielder on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest players from the past century. Fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots.
An exception was made to Rose's ban to allow him to participate in the pre-game introduction of the All-Century team before Game Two of the 1999 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees. Despite never having been a member of the Braves, Rose received the loudest ovation of the All-Century team members from the crowd at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
After the ceremony on live television, NBC's Jim Gray repeatedly asked Rose if he was ready to admit to betting on baseball and apologize.[60][61][62] Many people were outraged over Gray's aggressive questioning, feeling that it detracted from the ceremony. In protest, Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis refused to speak with Gray after his game-winning home run in Game Three. Earlier that season, Rose had been ranked at number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
In 2002, Rose appeared during the 2002 World Series in a Mastercard-sponsored event recalling "Baseball's Most Memorable Moments." Fans voted Rose's record-breaking hit over Ty Cobb as the sixth most memorable moment in baseball history.[63]
While allowing him to participate in the All-Century Team, and a September 2010 celebration at Great American Ball Park of the 25th anniversary of his 4,192nd hit,[64] MLB has refused to allow Rose to participate in other events in Cincinnati, such as the 25th anniversary reunion of the Big Red Machine, the closing of Cinergy Field and the opening of Great American Ball Park, as well as the closing of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and 1980 Phillies anniversary celebrations. The year before his retirement in 2015, Selig stated that Rose could participate in the festivities for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, which was held in Cincinnati (within subjective guidelines), and Rose took the field alongside Reds teammates prior to the game.[65] In 2016, Rose had his jersey retired by the Reds, which had to be approved by MLB.
Admission of sports gambling[edit]
In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale, Inc. on January 8, 2004, Rose admitted publicly to betting on baseball games and other sports while playing for and managing the Reds. He also admitted to betting on Reds games, but said he never bet against the team. Rose repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. In the book he stated that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so he could reapply for reinstatement. Later in 2004, ESPN broadcast the television film Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, which was primarily based on the Dowd Report.
In March 2007, during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Rose said, "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I bet on my team to win every night because I loved my team, I believed in my team," he said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."[66]
Dowd disputed Rose's contention he bet on the Reds every night, asserting Rose did not bet on his team when Mario Soto or Bill Gullickson pitched.[67] A notebook detailing Rose's daily betting activity shows Rose placed bets on five of the six games Soto started in 1987.[68] The lone exception was April 26, 1987, when Rose allegedly placed bets on hockey and basketball games but no baseball games. There were also four games Rose did not bet on the Reds in which Gullickson started.[69]
The criticism of Rose did not diminish after this admission—some Rose supporters were outraged he would reverse fifteen years of denial as part of a book publicity tour. In addition, the timing was called into question; by making his admission just two days after the Hall of Fame announced its class of 2004 inductees, Rose appeared to be linking himself publicly to the Hall.
Even after his 2004 admission of gambling, Rose had described his violation of MLB rules with what journalist Kostya Kennedy described as "a kind of swagger, that familiar screw-you defiance". On September 11, 2010, however, at a roast of Rose held at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg in Indiana on the 25th anniversary of his 4,192nd hit and attended by many teammates, Rose wept while acknowledging he had "disrespected baseball". He apologized to Pérez and other members of the Big Red Machine, stating, "I guarantee everyone in this room I will never disrespect you again. I love the fans, I love the game of baseball, and I love Cincinnati baseball". His words and crying surprised those present; a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter said, "It felt completely unscripted, completely sincere and very powerful. I had covered Rose for more than 25 years and hadn't ever heard him like that."[64]
WWE[edit]
Between 1998 and 2000, Rose appeared at World Wrestling Federation's (now WWE) annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event, in what became a running gag. At WrestleMania XIV he served as "guest ring announcer" prior to a match between Kane and the Undertaker. Rose took to the ring and started to taunt the Boston crowd about the Reds beating the Red Sox in the 1975 World Series, before he took a Tombstone Piledriver from Kane (also nicknamed "The Big Red Machine"). Even though portrayed as a villain, Kane's Tombstone of Rose was cheered by the crowd.[70] For the next year's WrestleMania XV, Rose was portrayed as seeking revenge. To do so, he dressed as the San Diego Chicken and "attacked" Kane before his scheduled match, only to take another Tombstone.[71] He returned for a third time the following year, at WrestleMania 2000, but again was thwarted by Kane, as well as Rikishi, his tag team partner that night.
In addition to these three appearances, Rose appeared in a Halloween-themed commercial for WWE's No Mercy event in 2002 and was chokeslammed by Kane. In 2004, Rose was inducted into the "Celebrity Wing" of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004.[72] He was the first celebrity to go into the Hall, and was inducted at a ceremony prior to WrestleMania XX by Kane.[73]
On March 22, 2010, Rose was the guest host on WWE Raw, which was the last episode of Raw before WrestleMania XXVI. As his first order of business, he set up a match between Shawn Michaels and Kane, which Michaels won. Later that night, Kane attacked Rose offscreen.
Rose was briefly mentioned on WWE television again on August 27, 2012. In an anger management segment, Kane stated, "For reasons never quite explained, I have an unhealthy obsession with torturing Pete Rose." Rose was later interviewed on WWE.com about his experiences with Kane's anger.[74]
Return to managing[edit]
On June 16, 2014, Rose returned to managing a professional baseball team for one game, serving as guest manager of the Bridgeport Bluefish, a Connecticut-based team. Rose's cameo as a manager did not violate his lifetime ban, as the Bluefish played in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is unaffiliated with MLB. Rose also coached first base and signed autographs for fans as the Bluefish defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers, 2–0.[75]
Fox Sports[edit]
On April 16, 2015, it was announced that Rose had been hired by Fox Sports to serve as a guest studio color analyst for MLB coverage on Fox and Fox Sports 1, appearing on the MLB on Fox pregame show as well as MLB Whiparound, America's Pregame and Fox Sports Live.[76] He made his Fox Sports 1 debut on May 11, 2015. He was let go in August 2017 when the details of his sexual relationship with a teenager in the 1970s was revealed after he attempted to sue John Dowd.[77]
Aside from the numerous records he set and individual titles he won, Rose was also honored with the 1968 Hutch Award, the 1969 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, and the 1976 Roberto Clemente Award. Despite his status of permanent ineligibility for the Hall of Fame, Rose received 9.5% of the votes (17th place overall) in his first year on the ballot for the BBWAA. He continued to receive votes for the next two years but failed to achieve the minimum of 5% to keep him on the ballot. Rose was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2010.[89]
Rose made the National League All-Star roster seventeen times. Only three National League players (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial) and five American League (AL) players (Mickey Mantle, Cal Ripken, Ted Williams, Rod Carew, and Carl Yastrzemski) have more appearances. He was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1973, but also finished in the top five vote-getters in 1968, 1969, 1975, and 1976. He led the league in batting average three times (1968, 1969, 1973), in plate appearances and hits seven times, in games played and doubles five times, in at-bats and runs scored four times, and in on-base percentage twice (1968, 1979).
Rose also accumulated 63 four-hit games in his MLB career.[90]
Rose retired in 1986 with the highest modern-day career fielding percentage for a right fielder at 99.14% and the highest National League modern-day career fielding percentage for a left fielder at 99.07%, behind only the AL's Joe Rudi and then-active players Gary Roenicke and Brian Downing, who also primarily played in the AL.[91][92]
In popular culture[edit]
In 1985, pop-artist Andy Warhol produced a limited edition screenprint in which Rose was the subject. The work was released in an edition of 50, with each work signed and numbered in pencil on lower right.[93]
In the sport of Wakeboarding, there is a trick named "Pete Rose" which earned the name because riders attempting to learn it would "slide like Pete Rose" when crashing.