Peter Edward Rose died this week at 83. He was one of baseball’s all-time great and most controversial players. Rose’s baseball career was brilliant, but it ended in a less than glorious fashion.
Rose played his last baseball game in 1986 and managed for the final time in 1989. In August 1989, he accepted permanent ineligibility in an agreement with Bart Giamatti, Commissioner of Baseball. In the ensuing 35 years, he struggled to regain his place in baseball. His quest was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He stayed around the fringes of professional baseball in any way he could, making personal appearances, selling autographed memorabilia, and giving interviews.
Pete Rose’s nickname was Charlie Hustle. The name was given in a slightly sarcastic way, but it suited him. Rose played hard, he played with confidence, and he was intensely competitive. Cincinnati Reds principal owner Bob Castellini said Rose was “one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen.” Like any great player in any sport, Rose believed in his own ability. He liked to say, “Every summer, three things are going to happen. The grass will get green, the weather will get hot, and Pete Rose will get 200 hits and bat .300.” And like other great players, he liked to wager on his ability. Unfortunately for Rose, the confidence, competitiveness, and desire to bet led to being banned from baseball for life.
Rose and Major League Baseball agreed to a lifetime ban due to his gambling. Rose is said to have bet on all sports, including baseball and his own team. Even in today’s world of legalized sports betting, betting on his league and his team will result in banishment. He said he never bet against his team, always that his team would win. For Major League Baseball, it was a distinction without a difference.
Pete was accused of other things besides gambling on baseball: corking his bat, putting himself in the lineup to get more hits, using steroids, and sexual abuse. He was convicted of tax evasion. His fans forgave him. Critics, however, never forgot that Pete was a gambler who bet on baseball. For that alone, they sentenced him to eternal damnation, or at least banned from baseball.
Rose found a home in Las Vegas. In a city that embraces gambling, he had fewer critics, casino sportsbooks welcomed him, and he had open access to his fans.
Pete’s entire career was between the 1960s and 1980s. Thus, it is a 20th century gambling story. The commercial gaming industry was restricted to Nevada for the first half of his career and to Nevada and New Jersey after 1978. Legal sports betting existed only in Nevada. Any betting Rose did was with an illegal bookie, so they were both breaking the law. Rose lived into the 21st century and an entirely new gambling narrative. By the time he died, there were over 1,000 commercial casinos and 500 Indian casinos. Sports betting was ubiquitous.
From the perspective of the Pete Rose narrative, the most dramatic change was legalized sports betting. It is legal in over 30 states. In 2023, the total amount wagered on sports was $93 billion, with $7.3 billion in revenue. In other words, 35 years after Rose was placed on the permanent ineligibility list, bettors put $100 billion down on sporting events, some of which were baseball games.
Renowned sports commentator Bob Costas said that because Rose had 4,256 hits, he deserved to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Somebody got those 4,256 base hits and three batting championships. Put him in the Hall of Fame. Put at the bottom of his plaque, ‘Banned from baseball 1989 for life.’ It’s part of the record, but he should be in as a player.”
It is hard to argue with Costas. Pete Rose was a great baseball player. He died on September 30 at age 83, so he would get no satisfaction or reward for induction. But while Rose is dead, his place in the record books is not. A baseball player named Pete Rose got 4,256 hits, played 3,562 games, and had 14,043 at bats. In 1978 he hit in 44 consecutive games and had a lifetime batting average of .303. He won three World Series championships, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Glove Awards, and the Rookie of the Year Award. He made 17 All-Star appearances. That is a Hall of Fame career.
The gambler is gone. The baseball legend lives on. It is in the record books and the player should be in the Hall of Fame.
