Pete Rose Dies at 83

The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Pete Rose, the Cincinnati native who became baseball’s all-time hits leader as well as one of the most divisive figures in the sport’s history, died Monday, according to a TMZ report, which was confirmed by his agent, Ryan Fiterman. He was 83.

After reaching the pinnacle of the sport he loved, Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling while manager of his hometown Reds. That came just four years after Rose had broken Ty Cobb’s hit record, a mark that still stands. He is MLB’s all-time hits leader with 4,256.

Even putting aside the betting scandal, Rose was, by all accounts, a rotten person — peculiar at best. But he was an astonishingly good and captivating baseball player, with a nickname for the ages: Charlie Hustle. He played with a maniacal intensity. When he drew a walk, he’d sprint to first base, because that’s the only way he knew how to traverse the bases: at full speed. He drew 1,566 walks in his career. I met him once, during his post-baseball career selling autographs at Las Vegas sports memorabilia shops. My favorite Rose play wasn’t a hit. It was this catch in game 6 of the 1980 World Series.

★ Monday, 30 September 2024