I realize the recent trend in baseball is to dislike any player linked to performance enhancing drugs, but after hearing Pete Rose admit to betting on the Cincinnati Reds “every night” while managing the club, I began to wonder…Is there a more detestable person associated with the game than Rose?
Sure, there are lots of despicable players in baseball that many fans would pay to see go away, but I feel Rose’s ability to annoy far exceeds theirs and as a result, he is worthy of receiving a higher level of public scorn.
The thing that bothers me most about Rose is that he, more so than any other pompous athlete, just doesn’t get it. Admitting to such a dishonorable act like betting on his team every night and then trying to put a good spin on it clearly shows that he is oblivious.
We all know that the baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint, so a manager cannot handle a regular-season game as if it is Game 7 of the World Series. By betting on his team every night, as he claims, Rose mortgaged the future of the Reds just to cover his bets. Yet of course, Charlie Hustle doesn’t see it that way. His reason for betting on his team was because he loved and believed in them.
Now, I suppose we all should be grateful that Rose didn’t bet against his team. But unfortunately he indirectly did just that by consistently not betting on his team’s games when either Bill Gullickson or Mario Soto was starting.
The problem with Rose is that he always has an agenda. For 15 years he denied ever betting on baseball, yet when his 2004 autobiography was published, only then did he finally come clean. Now he spends his time appearing at memorabilia shows, charging $350 for an autograph ball that reads: "I'm sorry I bet on baseball." Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who claims to be "the best ambassador baseball has."
I wish I was making this stuff up. Sadly the man with the most hits (4,256) in Major League history is delusional.
