Pete Rose has the most hits in baseball history.
Pete Rose was suspended for life after betting on baseball.
Pete Rose was a three time World Series champion.
Pete Rose was one of the most complicated figures in sports history.
I still don’t know how I feel about Rose but one thing can’t be argued.
Pete Rose was a great baseball player.
The “Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall Of Fame” debate has oddly clouded his career.
Let’s talk about his interesting playing career first.
He’s not only the all-time MLB leader in hits but also Games, At Bats and Singles.
He’s the last player-manager and he retired nearly 40 years ago.
Will we ever see another one again?
One thing we will never see again is a player like Pete Rose.
I don’t even mean his greatness.
His career was fucking weird.
Remember, he played his entire career in the National League when they didn’t have a DH.
Rose was also a champion.
Pete Rose was the 1975 World Series MVP.
The 1976 Reds swept the playoffs by going 3-0 in the NLCS and beating the Yankees in 4.
He left the Reds after 1978 and joined the Phillies as a 38 year old free agent.
Pete Rose went to six World Series and won three.
He played far too long.
His WAR from 1982-86 was -2.5.
He was chasing the hit record so one hand, you’re free to understand.
Pete Rose was kind of shitty manager.
Most great players are.
Ted Williams, Ryne Sandberg and other greats had similar struggles.
The year after Rose was suspended, they won the World Series.
Lou Piniella wasn’t half the player Rose was but he was a much better player.
I can forgive Rose for being a mediocre manager but not for betting on baseball while being the manager.
Don’t forget that he also did so as a player.
In 2015, he finally admitted to also betting as a player.
As a manager, he would bet only on certain games.
Was he saving his best closer John Franco for games he put a wager on?
If you want the sport to be taken seriously, you could’t allow that.
Should Rose be in the Hall of Fame now that he’s gone?
Even writing that seems kind of a lame half measure.
Maybe you do induct him.
It’s for the fans now.
Pete Rose lived an improbably complicated and interesting life.
We’ll never see another career like his again.
He had 4,256 hits.
No player since has had 3,500!
He also never had a 17 home run season.
Pete Rose was truly one of one.
So, I have a hard time understanding how to feel about Pete Rose.
This 1970 play at the All-Star Game maybe best defines him.
Was Rose wrong to do this?
It’s pretty clear he wasn’t expecting Rose to come in that hard.
It seems like it was almost primal with Rose.
That same aggressiveness leads to recklessness which was also his downfall.
You probably can’t get both with a human being.
I’d say Rest In Peace but I don’t think Rose ever wanted rest or peace.
Hit and Win, Pete.
I think that’s what you wanted more than anything.
