Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio), nicknamed Charlie Hustle, is an American former player and manager in Major League Baseball who played from 1963 to 1986, best known for his many years with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time major league leader in hits (4256), games played (3562) and at bats (14,053). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 18 All-Star appearances at an unequalled four different positions (2B, OF, 3B, 1B).

Post-playing career

Manager

Rose continued to manage the Reds, and on April 30, 1988 he shoved umpire Dave Pallone while arguing a call; National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended him for 30 days.

Related Topics:
April 30 - 1988 - Dave Pallone - A. Bartlett Giamatti

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Lifetime ban

By the 1980s, Rose was gambling heavily on several sports, and by most accounts lost large sums. Amid reports that Rose had bet on baseball while Reds manager, he was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Giamatti. Three days later, lawyer John Dowd was retained to investigate charges against Rose. A March 21, 1989 Sports Illustrated article tied him to baseball gambling.

Related Topics:
February - 1989 - Peter Ueberroth - John Dowd - March 21 - Sports Illustrated

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The Dowd Report asserted that Rose bet on 52 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 a day. On August 24, 1989, he voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball?s ineligible list. Rose accepted that there was a material reason for the ban; in return, Major League Baseball agreed to make no finding of fact with regard to the gambling allegations and on the provision that baseball would cease exploring Rose's activities (leading some observers to speculate that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them; had further investigations uncovered this, he would have been liable to criminal prosecution under "sports bribery" laws, which typically prohibit athletes from betting against themselves but not on themselves), and that after one year Rose could reapply for reinstatement. Rose, with a 412-373 record, was replaced as Reds manager by Tommy Helms.

Related Topics:
Dowd Report - 1987 - August 24 - Tommy Helms

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On February 4, 1991 the Hall of Fame voted to formally exclude players banned from baseball.

Related Topics:
February 4 - 1991

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Tax evasion

On April 21, 1990 Rose pled guilty to two charges of filing false income tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs and baseball memorabilia. On July 20 Rose was sentenced to five months in federal prison and three months in a halfway house, ordered to serve 1,000 hours of community service, and fined $50,000. He was released January 7, 1991 after having paid $366,041 in back taxes and interest on $354,968 of unreported income.

Related Topics:
April 21 - 1990 - Income tax - Autograph - July 20 - Halfway house - Community service - January 7 - 1991

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In September 1997 Rose applied for reinstatement. As of 2005 Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, is still considering the matter. If not reinstated by December 2005 Rose will not be eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame until 2009, when the Veterans Committee could select him for entry (if he is reinstated).

Related Topics:
September - 1997 - 2005 - Bud Selig - December - 2005 - Hall of Fame - 2009 - Veterans Committee

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Before game two of the 1999 World Series, Rose received the loudest ovation during the introduction of baseball's MasterCard All-Century Team. After the ceremony on live television, NBC's Jim Gray repeatedly asked Rose if he was ready to admit betting on baseball and apologize. Many people were outraged over Gray's aggressive questioning, feeling that it detracted from the ceremony. Others felt that given the dichotomy of Rose's banishment from baseball and his inclusion on the All-Century Team, the questions were appropriate.

Related Topics:
1999 World Series - MasterCard All-Century Team - NBC - Jim Gray

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Coming clean

In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale Press on January 8, 2004, Rose finally 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 that he never bet against the Reds. He repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. He also said in the book that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so that he could reapply for reinstatement. Further adding to the debate was the 2004 ESPN made-for-TV movie Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore as Rose, which documented Rose's gambling problem and his subsequent ban from baseball.

Related Topics:
Autobiography - My Prison Without Bars - Rodale Press - January 8 - 2004 - ABC - Primetime Thursday - ESPN - TV - Hustle - Tom Sizemore

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Pete Rose and WWE

During the years 1998 to 2000 Rose performed in WWE's annual spectacular, WrestleMania. Rose would often be on the receiving end of either a chokeslam or a piledriver delivered by a man known to many fans, coincidentally, as "The Big Red Machine," Kane. In October 2002 he starred alongside Kane in a Halloween-themed commercial for No Mercy 2002.

Related Topics:
WWE - WrestleMania - Kane - October 2002 - Halloween - No Mercy 2002

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In 2004 Rose appeared at WrestleMania XX, where he was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame, becoming the first member of the "Celebrity Wing."

Related Topics:
WrestleMania XX - WWE Hall of Fame

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