BASEBALL LEGEND—AMERICAN HERO Years after being banned from Major League Baseball “for life” because of alleged sports gambling, Pete Rose continues to be a colorful and controversial newsmaker. His frequent appeals to Commissioner Bud Selig for reinstatement have had the overwhelming support of fans, reflecting the enthusiasm Rose brought to the game and the passion he has generated over the years.
Rose played twenty-four seasons before retiring in 1986 with numerous records; most career hits (4,256), most games played (3,562), most at-bats (14,053), most seasons with 200 or more hits (10), and most winning games played in (1,972). During a career with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos, Rose was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 1963 and its Most Valuable Player in 1973. In addition to winning three batting titles and two Gold Glove Awards, he also was the World Series MVP with Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” team that won the 1975 world championship.
In Pete Rose: Baseball’s Charlie Hustle, dozens of the people who know him best—teammates, opposing players, friends, fans, hometown acquaintances, and baseball experts—share their memories of the man and the player. Among the many aspects of his life explored are his competitive zeal even as a Little Leaguer, his athletic success in high school, his on-fields scrapes and collisions, his leadership role on the Big Red Machine, his leaving the Reds to join the Phillies, his record-setting 44-games hitting streak, his pursuit of Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record, his turbulent days as manager of the Reds, his banishment from baseball, and his various enterprises after baseball.
