Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s hit king who was banned from the sport for life for gambling on his team, has died at 83, according to @PerezEd pic.twitter.com/43J1nlccWV
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 30, 2024
There is perhaps no one in the history of baseball that can better embody the sport than Pete Rose. A man who played hard every second he was on the diamond, demonstrating what it means to hustle, and how to play the game the right way. It’s what earned him the nickname ‘Charlie Hustle.’ Funny enough, Mickey Mantle was the one who gave Rose his iconic nickname, after seeing him sprint to first base on a walk, and it was absolutely meant as an insult. In HBO’s Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose documentary (which is pretty good, I would encourage everyone to watch), Rose said he wore it as a badge of honor, and so too did the city of Cincinnati.
Rose was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up to play for his hometown Reds. That alone is an incredible story. But to out work, out hustle everyone else, and then on top of it all WIN. He was, and is, a God there. Perhaps more than any other athlete in any other city or state, ever.
There is, of course, the dark cloud that has hovered over Rose and his name for decades. That dark cloud being his gambling on MLB games. Rose was sentenced to a lifetime ban, but even up until recently, he has fought to lift the ban so he can rightfully take his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
What infuriates me, and I’m sure everyone else who loves baseball, is that Pete Rose is the last person on planet Earth that would besmear or disrespect the game of baseball. Not once would any fan, teammate, manager, owner, etc. ever in a million years accuse Rose of throwing a game for money. He played it the right way. He is the player who’s highlights you pull up to show your son when they are getting into the sport and say, “Look at this guy, his name is Pete Rose, and this is how you’re supposed to play the game, no matter what.”
What’s even more infuriating now, is we live in a country that has gone full heel turn on gambling. Everything in sports revolves around gambling and the sponsorships. MLB, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, they all are slaves to the money legalized sports gambling has brought in. Every pregame, postgame, and day time sports talk show is sponsored by them. The largest sports network in the world, ESPN, has its own gambling app. Yes, players still get in trouble for gambling, but for these entities to all sit back and collect their checks while the most prolific base hitter of all-time is banned for life has become disgustingly hypocritical.
It will be a black eye on Major League Baseball forever that they did not give him his moment to enter the Hall of Fame. Many believe since he had a “lifetime” ban, and has now passed, he should get into the Hall no problem. But these people in charge of these decisions are stingy.
If they decide to let Rose in, we should not give them credit or praise them for coming to this decision. It should have been done years ago, only now Rose isn’t here to have his rightful moment. To thank everybody, to apologize, to be loved, and to be honored.
Leave A Comment