Let’s get a few things straight. First and foremost, Pete Rose is a baseball legend. During his career, he won three batting titles, an MVP award, three World Series rings, and collected more hits than any player in the game’s history. He was also among the two or three most popular and most well-known stars during the 27 years that he played and managed in the big leagues. From the time he was a green 23-year old rookie for the Cincinnati Reds, the enthusiastic kid Mickey Mantle dubbed him Charlie Hustle, to that day in 1986 when he surpassed Ty Cobb as the all-time hit king, there was nobody better or more famous than Pete Rose in the game of baseball. Period.

Everyone loved Pete Rose. Fathers told their sons to copy Rose on the field, which was, run down to first base if you draw a walk, run hard and slide even harder, even if you have to flop on your belly, do it for the team and leave nothing on the field. That was Pete Rose. Even the few crazy folks that didn’t love Rose, respected him on the baseball diamond. Until August 24, 1989, that is.

On that day, Rose accepted a sentence from the Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti of lifetime banishment by going on the permanently ineligible list. An independent investigation conducted by John Dowd found that Rose had gambled heavily on sporting events while he managed the Reds. Although the report didn’t officially find that Rose had bet on baseball, his gambling violated baseball’s rules against betting on sports. Although the ban stated that Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year, it did not bind baseball to accept such a bid.

For years, Rose claimed that he had been duped by Giamatti, arguing that he thought he was merely signing a one year ban, and not the permanent banishment to which his signature suggests he agreed. Rose also denied that he gambled on baseball. Although he admitted to horse, dog and casino gambling during the 1990s, he adamantly refused when asked about betting on baseball.

Many Rose loyalists believed him, including former teammates Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan, who repeatedly put their good names on the line by saying they believed their friend. Schmidt and Morgan weren’t alone. In 1999, when Rose was voted to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team, he was allowed to take the field during the honorary ceremony held at Fenway Park before that year’s All-Star game. Rose received a 10-minute standing ovation from the crowd. At the time, it seemed as if Rose was on his way to being reinstated.

But it never happened. Although Rose applied for reinstatement and eventually met with Commissioner Bud Selig to discuss the issue, Selig never took action on the application. His refusal to reinstate Rose led to speculation that there was evidence that Rose had bet on baseball. In a 2002 interview, Dowd stated that he believed that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them. Dowd’s statement infuriated Rose’s many supporters, but in time, it became clear that Dowd was right on point with his accusations.

In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, 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 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. In a March, 2007 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 love my team, I believe in my team,” he said. “I did everything in my power every night to win that game.” As of 2009, Rose is still banned from the game, and is not eligible for the Hall of Fame. He has not set foot on a big league ball park since the 1999 All-Star Game.

- John A. Roberts

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Tags | Cincinatti Reds, gambling, Hall of Fame, MLB, Pete Rose