Unpacking Pete Rose's Complicated Legacy
Unpacking Pete Rose's Complicated Legacy
Pete Rose's recent passing allows the opportunity for discussion about both his on-field accomplishments and off-field controversies.
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Pregame Pepper: Thoughts On Pete Rose’s Passing
“Our hearts are deeply saddened by the news of Pete’s passing. He was one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen, and every team he played for was better because of him. Pete was a Red through and through. No one loved the game more than Pete and no one loved Pete more than Reds Country. We must never forget what he accomplished.” — Bob Castellini, Reds principal owner and managing partner
"Pete Rose means a lot to a lot of people in this city. You may understand why. You may not understand why. But he does. For better or worse. Whatever the second half of his life came to represent - and it’s made his legacy deeply complex - Pete is identified more than anyone with a period of time in Cincinnati that still means a bunch to a whole lot of people here. And a part of a lot of people’s youth just passed." — ESPN Radio host Mo Egger
“In 1963, our parish priest Father Bertke took my dad and me to the Reds' Opening Day game. It happened to be Pete Rose’s first game for the Reds. Fran and our family had the joy of watching Pete play for the Reds hundreds of times over the years. No one ever worked harder or hustled more than Pete Rose. No one ever got more out of his natural talent than Pete Rose. It was a true joy to watch him play baseball. Fran and I extended our sincerest condolences to Pete’s children and family." — Mike DeWine, Governor of Ohio
Leading Off
Pete Rose Was Jekyll And Hyde
By Mark Kolier
Pete Rose a walking, talking contradiction and conundrum. I got the news about his death from a friend via a text during the second game of the Mets-Braves Monday doubleheader last week. My son and I were about to record our podcast last week and we were on a high since the Mets were able to win one of the two games and make the 2024 MLB playoffs. We decided to not talk about Pete Rose in that episode because it was so fresh in our minds, and it was bound to be a downer.
That’s what happens whenever I think about Pete Rose. His personal life was a mess, and that did nothing to raise his reputation. Pete Rose was fiery forever and equally unapologetic. Now that he’s gone, there might finally be a path to his election to the Hall of Fame. I’ve said for a long time that not having the player with the most hits in baseball history in the HOF weakens the institution.
Pete Rose Was Both A Throwback And A Pioneer
It’s well known that Rose played in the most games (3,562), had the most plate appearances (15,890), at-bats (14,053), and of course base hits (4,256). Yet despite that, Rose had “only” 198 stolen bases (in 24 seasons, so an average of a little more than eight per season), he regularly batted leadoff for the Big Red Machine. When Rose played, being speedy at the top of the lineup was a requisite. Rose was not speedy. But his career .375 on-base percentage had him on base more times than any player in MLB history. Did you know that Rose was a 17-time All-Star at five different positions? Pete was one of the original utility men!
Writer Joe Posnanski noted:
“And yet he outhit Cobb.
And yet, he scored more runs than Mays.
And yet, he played more baseball games than Aaron.
And yet, he totaled just one fewer base than Babe Ruth.
And yet, he led the Big Red Machine, perhaps the greatest of all teams.”
Rose’s teammates, wherever he went, revered and respected his “Charlie Hustle” never-ceasing effort.
Being the first player to receive a salary of $100,000 while being a singles hitter was important to Rose. He achieved that in 1970. Publicly, Rose often attempted humor that too often fell flat. His unwavering self-confidence was not atypical, but that self-confidence came across as arrogance, along with a huge chip on his shoulder.
Cobb And Rose
Hall of Famer Ty Cobb retired 35 years before Rose began his career and Cobb passed away two years prior to Rose’s rookie season in 1963. The two were linked by Rose’s successful pursuit of Cobb’s all-time MLB record for base hits. When you watched Rose, the connections to Cobb were evident and that was cool. They both played the game all-out, all the time. Both played in the Majors for 24 years and were known to try to do anything to win. Neither Cobb nor Rose was liked, but both were popular. Cobb was a conundrum and contradiction, just like Rose. Both Cobb and Rose got into trouble on and off the field. It’s not that Rose was Cobb’s playing equal, but the impact he had on baseball was much the same. The “Georgia Peach” would have loved Pete Rose’s style of play.
You Bet Your Life, Or At Least Your Reputation
Then there is the betting by Rose on baseball. In 2004, 15 years after MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose for conduct around gambling on baseball games, Rose admitted that in fact he did bet on baseball games, but never against his team. All the denials over the years made that admission less believable. Pete Rose also admitted that he’d probably get into the Hall of Fame, after he died. And now, here we are.
Rose was very thoughtful when it came to baseball. An in-studio MLB Network interview in 2017 with Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famer Frank Thomas is fascinating to watch and displays a side of Rose too rarely seen. He comes as close to being endearing as he ever could be. And watching it, you sense that edginess and can almost see that chip on his shoulder right next to the bat.
Posnanksi closed with this nugget that epitomizes what Pete felt he stood for:
“I’m the biggest winner in the history of sports,” Pete Rose said. “Think about that. It’s safe to say baseball players play more games than any other sport. And I’m the all-time leader in games won. That has got to mean something, doesn’t it? That has got to mean something.”
Like Ty Cobb, Pete Rose wasn’t much of a hero, but he was a damn good baseball player and, rightly, we will never stop talking about him. We should also be able to go to Cooperstown and see his plaque on the wall. MLB has embraced gambling, and without any evidence that Rose bet against the Reds when he was their manager, it’s just wrong to keep him out any longer. Pete knew his end was the way inside.
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and Substack.com.
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