Peter Edward Rose, Charlie Hustle as he was known, baseball’s all time hit king, gone at age 83. He was very good, banging out a record 4256 hits in a playing career that started at age 22 in 1963. He came back to Cincinnati to play and manage before his banishment in 1989.
He was also very bad. After playing stops in Philadelphia and Montreal and certainly on his way to the Hall of Fame, Rose was banned after an investigation in 1989 determined he had bet on baseball and the team he was managing, the Reds.
His agreement with then Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned him for life but without a formal determination about whether or not he had bet on baseball. Rose hoped the latter would one day pave a way for him to eventually get in the Hall but it was not to be.
A succession of commissioners would uphold his ban. Fay Vincent, Bud Selig and Rob Manfred all keeping in lockstep with Giamatti in keeping Rose out of baseball’s shrine. In his 2004 autobiography ‘My Prison Without Bars’ he finally admitted to betting on baseball:
“I’m sorry it happened, and I’m sorry for all the people, fans and family that it hurt. Let’s move on.”
The very good included being a part of baseball’s Big Red Machine, the dominant Reds teams of the 1970’s that won back to back world series in 1975 and ’76. The 1975 win in 7 games over the Boston Red Sox believed by many to be the best series ever, In ’76 a sweep of the Yankees.
More very bad, There were 2017 rape allegations of Rose over a possible relationship with an underage girl many years before. Allegations Rose denied.
MLB granted Rose temporary reprieves along the way. Invited back for a few MLB celebrations, inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame and a short time as a tv panelist on post season baseball. He lived out the rest of his days mostly in Las Vegas, living off his name, signing autographs and other baseball memorabilia.
