Pete Rose

For other people named Pete Rose or Peter Rose, see Pete Rose (disambiguation).

Pete Rose
OF / 3B / 2B / 1B / Mgr
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
debut
April 8, 1963, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last appearance
August 14, 1986, for the Cincinnati Reds
Career statistics
Batting average	.303
Hits	4,256
Home runs	160
Runs batted in	1,314
Managerial record	412–373
Teams
As player Cincinnati Reds (1963–1978) Philadelphia Phillies (1979–1983) Montreal Expos (1984) Cincinnati Reds (1984–1986) As manager Cincinnati Reds (1984–1989)
Career highlights and awards
3× World Series champion (1975, 1976, 1980) 17× All-Star selection (1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985) 2× Gold Glove Award winner (1969, 1970) NL Rookie of the Year (1963) Hutch Award (1968) Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1969) NL MVP (1973) Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (1975) World Series MVP (1975) Roberto Clemente Award (1976) Silver Slugger Award winner (1981) Major League Baseball All-Century Team (1999) Holds numerous other records and achievements MLB Records 4,256 career hits 3,562 career games played 14,053 career at-bats

Peter Edward Rose (born April 14, 1941 in Template:City-state) is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and is best known for his 19 years with the Cincinnati Reds.

Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).

In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 2004, after years of public denial, he admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds. After Rose's ban was instated, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction. Previously, those who were banned had been excluded by informal agreement among voters. The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.

Background

Rose grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Anderson Ferry in Cincinnati as one of four children to Harry Francis "Pete" and LaVerne "Rosie." He was a member of the Order of DeMolay as a young boy, and was encouraged by his parents to participate in sports. His father, who played semi-professional football, was the biggest influence on Rose and his sports career.

Rose played both baseball and football at Western Hills High School. He was small for his age but earned the starting running back position on his freshman football team. When he was not promoted to the varsity football team in his sophomore year, Rose was dejected and lost interest in his studies. At the end of the school year, Rose's teachers decreed that he would have to attend summer school or be held back. Harry Rose decided that it would be better for Pete to repeat a year of school than miss a summer playing baseball. Plus, it would give Pete an extra year to mature physically. When Pete reached his senior year, he had already used up his four years of sports eligibility, so in the Spring of 1960, he joined the Class AA team sponsored by Frisch's Big Boy of Lebanon in the Dayton Amateur League. He played catcher, second base, and shortstop and compiled a .500 batting average. This would have been the pinnacle of Rose's baseball career if not for the help of his uncle Buddy Bloebaum. Bloebaum was a bird dog scout for the Reds and he pleaded the case for his nephew. The Reds, who had recently traded away a number of prospects who turned out to be very good, decided to take a chance on Pete. Upon his graduation from high school, Rose signed a professional contract with the Reds. He got a $7,000 ($72,094 in current dollar terms) signing bonus and was promised $500 ($6,180 in current dollar terms) more if he made it all the way to the Major Leagues and managed to stay there for a full year.

Minor leagues

Rose was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent on July 8, 1960, and was assigned to the Geneva Redlegs of the New York-Penn League. In 1961, Rose was promoted to the Class D Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League, where he batted .331 and set a league record for triples, but also led the league in errors. With the Macon Peaches in 1962, Rose hit .330, leading the league in triples and runs scored.

Cincinnati Reds

Rookie of the Year

Rose walks onto the field with the Cincinnati Reds

During a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox in 1963, the Reds' regular second baseman, Don Blasingame, pulled a groin muscle; Rose got his chance and made the most of it. During another spring training game against the New York Yankees, Whitey Ford gave him the derisive nickname "Charlie Hustle" after Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. Despite (or perhaps because of) the manner in which Ford intended it, Rose adopted that nickname as a badge of honor. In Ken Burns' documentary Baseball, Mickey Mantle claimed that Ford gave Rose the nickname after Rose, playing in left field, made an effort to climb the fence to try to catch a Mantle home run that everyone could see was headed over everything.

Rose made the club, and made his major league debut on April 8, 1963 (Opening Day) against the Pittsburgh Pirates and drew a walk. After going 0-for-11, Rose got his first Major League hit on April 13, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend. He hit .273 for the year and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, collecting 17 of 20 votes.

Rose entered the Ohio Army National Guard after the 1963 baseball season. He was assigned to Fort Knox for six months of active duty, which was followed by three years of regular attendance with a Reserve Unit at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. At Fort Knox, he was a platoon guide and graduated from United States Army Basic Training January 18, 1964, one week before his marriage to Karolyn. Rose then remained at Fort Knox to assist the sergeant in training the next platoon and to help another sergeant train the Fort's baseball team. Rose received some special treatment during basic training, including not receiving a shaved head and palling around with the colonel. Later in his Fort Thomas service, Rose served as company cook.

Early years

On April 23, 1964, in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game in Colt Stadium, Rose reached first base on an error and scored on another error to make Houston Astros rookie Ken Johnson the first pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. However, he slumped late in the season, was benched, and finished with just a .269 average. Rose came back in 1965, leading the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and finishing sixth in NL MVP balloting. It was the first of his ten seasons with 200-plus hits, and his .312 batting average was the first of nine consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-high 16 home runs in 1966, then switched positions from second base to right field the following year.

In 1968, Rose started the season with a 22-game hit streak, missed three weeks (including the All-Star Game) with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hit streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6-for-9 to beat out Matty Alou and win the first of two close NL batting-title races with a .335 average. He finished second to St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson for the NL MVP award, earning six first place votes.

Rose had his best offensive season in 1969, setting a career high in batting (.348) and tying his career-best 16 homers. As the Reds' leadoff man, he was the team's catalyst, rapping 218 hits, walking 88 times and pacing the league in runs with 120. He hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, He drove in 82 runs, slugged .512 (by far the highest mark of his long career), had a .432 OBP (also a career best). Rose and Roberto Clemente were tied for the batting title going into the final game; Rose bunted for a base hit in his last at-bat of the season to beat out Clemente (.345).

1970 All-Star game

On July 14, 1970, in brand-new Riverfront Stadium (opened just two weeks earlier), Rose was involved in one of the most infamous plays in All-Star Game history. Leading off against the California Angels' Clyde Wright in the 12th inning, Rose hit a single and advanced to second on another single by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Billy Grabarkewitz. The Chicago Cubs’ Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center. Amos Otis' throw went past Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse, but Rose still barreled over Fosse to score the winning run. It has been written that Fosse suffered a separated shoulder in the collision, but it went undiagnosed initially. Fosse continued to hit for average (he finished the season at .307), but with diminished power — he had 16 homers before the break but only two after. He played through the 1979 season, but never approached his first-year numbers. The collision also caused Rose to miss three games with a bruised knee. Fosse did not miss any games immediately after the incident. As can be seen in a replay of the event, Rose initially intended to slide headfirst, but when Fosse blocked the plate prior to the throw reaching home, Rose came back up and knocked Fosse out of the way, clearing his path to home as the throw went by.

1973 season

Pete Rose at bat during the Big Red Machine years

In 1973, Rose led the league with 230 hits and a .338 batting average en route to winning the NL MVP award, and leading "the Big Red Machine" to the 1973 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

During the fifth inning of game three of the series, Joe Morgan hit a double play ball to Mets first baseman John Milner with Rose on first. Rose's slide into second attempting to break up the double play incited a fight with Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, resulting in a bench-clearing brawl. The game was nearly called off when, after the Reds took the field, the Shea Stadium crowd threw objects from the stands at Rose, causing Reds manager Sparky Anderson to pull his team off the field until order was restored. Mets Manager Yogi Berra and players Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Cleon Jones and Rusty Staub were actually summoned by NL President Chub Feeney out to left field to calm the fans. The Reds ended up losing the game and the National League Championship Series despite Rose’s .381 batting average in the series, and his eighth-inning home run to tie Game One and his 12th-inning home run to win Game Four.

The Big Red Machine

Main article: The Big Red Machine

The Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s earned the nickname "the Big Red Machine," and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest teams ever. On a team with many great players, Rose, along with Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, was viewed as one of the club's leaders. Rose was known for sliding headfirst into a base, his signature move, which is now used almost exclusively by stealing base runners today, and has been ever since the late '70s. In the sport of Wakeboarding, there is a trick named "Pete Rose". The rider who invented the trick, Scott Byerly, said he would "slide like Pete Rose" upon crashing while trying to complete the maneuver. The last episode of Arrested Development, "Development Arrested", also references Rose's slide: "And although he [George Michael had] only gotten to second base, he’d gone in head-first, like Pete Rose."

In 1975, Rose earned the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. The following year, he was a major force in helping the Reds repeat as World Series champions. The 1976 Reds swept the Phillies 3-0 in the 1976 National League Championship Series, then swept the Yankees 4-0 in the World Series. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds remain the only team since the expansion of the playoffs in 1969 to go undefeated in the postseason.

44-game hitting streak

On May 5, 1978, Rose became the 13th player in major league history to collect his 3,000th career hit, with a single off Montreal Expos pitcher Steve Rogers. On June 14 in Cincinnati, Rose singled in the first inning off Cubs pitcher Dave Roberts; Rose would proceed to get a hit in every game he played until August 1, making a run at Joe DiMaggio’s record 56-game hitting streak, which had stood virtually unchallenged for 37 years. The streak started quietly, but by the time it had reached 30 games, the media took notice and a pool of reporters accompanied Rose and the Reds to every game. On July 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Rose was hitless going into the ninth with his team trailing. He ended up walking and the streak appeared over. But the Reds managed to bat through their entire lineup, giving Rose another chance. Facing Ron Reed, Rose laid down a perfect bunt single to extend the streak to 32 games.

He would eventually tie Willie Keeler's single season National League record at 44 games; but on August 1, the streak came to an end as Gene Garber of the Atlanta Braves struck out Rose in the ninth inning. The competitive Rose was sour after the game, blasting Garber and the Braves for treating the situation "like it was the ninth inning of the 7th game of the World Series" and adding that "Phil Niekro would have given me a fastball to hit."

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies had won the National League East three years running (1976-1978) two of which were won with 101 win seasons, but were unable to make it to the World Series. In 1979, believing that he was the player who could bring them over the top, the Phillies temporarily made Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports when they signed him to a four-year, $3.2-million contract as a free agent. With perennial All-Star Mike Schmidt firmly entrenched at third, Rose made the final position change of his career to first base.

Although they missed the postseason in his first year with the team, they earned three division titles (one in the first half of the strike shortened 1981 season), two World Series appearances and one World Series title (1980) in the following four years.

The worst season of Rose's career was also the season that the Phillies played in their second World Series in four years, 1983. Rose batted only .245 with 121 hits, and found himself benched during the latter part of the '83 season, appearing periodically to play and pinch hit. Rose did blossom as a pinch-hitter, with 8 hits in 21 at bats - .381 average.

Pete bounced back in a big way during the Postseason, batting .375 (6-for-16) during the N.L. Playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and .312 in the World Series (5-for-16). Rose collected only one hit in his first eight at-bats in the first two games in Baltimore against the 1983 A.L. Champions. Pete found himself benched for game three back in Philadelphia, and would ground out in a pinch-hitting appearance. Worse yet, Rose showed some unsportsmanlike attitude toward his own manager, Paul Owens, complaining about his benching. Yet, the next day, he collected four hits in his last seven at-bats. Still, the Phillies lost decisively to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series, 4 games to 1.

Montreal Expos

Pete was granted an unconditional release from the Phillies in late October 1983. Phils management wanted to retain Rose for the 1984 season, but he refused to accept a more limited playing role. Months later, he signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Expos. On April 13, 1984, 21 years to the day after Rose's first career hit, Rose doubled off of the Phillies’ Jerry Koosman for his 4,000th career hit, joining Ty Cobb to become only the second player to enter the 4000 hit club.

Back to Cincinnati

Rose was traded to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15, 1984 and was immediately named player-manager, replacing Reds' manager Vern Rapp. Though he only batted .259 for the Expos, his average jumped to .365 with the Reds, as he managed them to a 19-22 record for the remainder of the season.

On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. According to its Web site, MLB.com, Major League Baseball continues to recognize Cobb's final hit total as 4,191, though independent research has revealed that two of Cobb's hits were counted twice. Because of this, it has been suggested that Rose actually broke Cobb's record against the Cubs' Reggie Patterson with a single in the first inning of a Reds' 5-5 called game against Chicago on September 8. Because Rose broke Cobb's record, ABC's Wide World of Sports named Rose as its Athlete of the Year that year. Rose accumulated a total of 4,256 hits before his final career at-bat, a strikeout against San Diego’s Rich Gossage on August 17, 1986.

Retirement from playing

On November 11, Rose was dropped from the Reds’ 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo, and he unofficially retired as a player, however, he continued as manager. "Charlie Hustle" finished with an incredible number of Major League and National League records that have lasted for many years. Rose, always proud of his ability to hit .300 or better in 15 of his 24 playing seasons, has a lifetime .303 batting average.

Rose managed the Reds from August 15, 1984, to August 24, 1989, with a 426-388 record. During his four full seasons at the helm (1985-1988), the Reds posted four second-place finishes in the NL West division. His 426 managerial wins rank fifth in Reds history.

Rose was the manager when Tom Browning posted his perfect game at Riverfront Stadium on September 16, 1988, the first one pitched in the National League since Sandy Koufax pitched one in 1965. Coincidentally, it was against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Koufax's old team.

30 game suspension

Rose's most infamous incident on field as a manager occurred on April 30, 1988 during a home game against the New York Mets. Following a call by umpire Dave Pallone, which allowed the Mets' eventual winning run to score in the 6-5 game, Rose argued vehemently and made physical contact with the umpire, noticeably pushing him. Rose claimed that Pallone had scratched him in the face during the argument, which provoked the push. Regardless, National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for 30 days, which was the longest suspension ever levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. The shove caused a near-riot at Riverfront Stadium, and fans showered the field with debris. Ironically, the length of the suspension allowed Rose to undergo and fully recuperate from badly needed knee surgery.

Permanent ineligibility

Amid reports that he had bet on baseball, Rose was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Bart Giamatti. Rose denied the allegations and Ueberroth dropped the investigation. However, after Giamatti became Commissioner, three days later, lawyer John M. Dowd was retained to investigate these charges against Rose. A Sports Illustrated cover story published on March 21, 1989 gave the public their first detailed report of the allegations that Rose had placed bets on baseball games.

Dowd interviewed many of Rose's associates, including alleged bookies and bet runners. He delivered a summary of his findings to the Commissioner in May. In it, Dowd documented Rose's alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and compiled a day-by-day account of Rose's alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. The Dowd Report documented his alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered a minimum of $10,000 a day. Others involved in the allegations claim that number was actually $2,000 a day.

According to the Dowd Report itself, "no evidence was discovered that Rose bet against the Reds." This is in contrast to the case of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and his teammates in the Black Sox Scandal, who were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series. Those critical of Rose's behavior, including Ohio's own Hall of Fame baseball reporter Hal McCoy, have observed that "the major problem with Rose betting on baseball, particularly the Reds, is that as manager he could control games, make decisions that could enhance his chances of winning his bets, thus jeopardizing the integrity of the game."

Rose continued to deny all of the accusations against him and refused to appear at a hearing with Giamatti on the matter. He filed a lawsuit alleging that the Commissioner had prejudged the case and could not provide a fair hearing. A Cincinnati judge issued a temporary restraining order to delay the hearing, but Giamatti fought to have the case moved to Federal Court. The Commissioner prevailed in that effort, after which he and Rose entered settlement negotiations.

On August 24, 1989, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list. Rose accepted that there was a factual reason for the ban; in return, Major League Baseball agreed to make no formal finding with regard to the gambling allegations. According to baseball's rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year. Rose, with a 412-373 record, was replaced as Reds manager by Tommy Helms. Rose began therapy with a psychiatrist for treatment of a gambling addiction.

In a December 2002 interview, investigator Dowd stated that he believed that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them. However, his official report states "no evidence was discovered that Rose bet against the Cincinnati Reds."

Rose's ban has prevented the Reds from formally retiring his #14 jersey. However, aside from his son Pete Jr.'s brief stint with the team in 1997, the Reds have not issued that number since Rose's ban. Even though the number has not been retired, it is highly unlikely that any Red will ever wear that number again. His uniform number 14 was retired by the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League.

Tax evasion

On April 20, 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to two charges of filing false income tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs and memorabilia, and from horse racing winnings. On July 19, Rose was sentenced to five months in the medium security Prison Camp at the United States Penitentiary in Template:City-state and fined $50,000. He was released on January 7, 1991 after having paid $366,041 in back taxes and interest, and was required to perform 1000 hours of community service.

Hall of Fame eligibility

On February 4, 1991, the Hall of Fame voted to formally exclude individuals on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted into the Hall of Fame by way of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote. Rose is the only living member of the ineligible list. Players who were not selected by the BWAA could be considered by the Veterans Committee in the first year after they would have lost their place on the Baseball Writers' ballot. Under the Hall's rules, players may appear on the ballot for only fifteen years, beginning five years after they retire. Had he not been banned from baseball, Rose's name could have been on the writers' ballot beginning in 1992 and ending in 2006. He would have been eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2007, but did not appear on the ballot. In 2008 the Veterans Committee barred players and managers on the ineligible list from consideration, more than likely ending any chance of Rose being elected to the Hall of Fame.

The original version of Billy Joel's song "Zanzibar" from the 1978 album 52nd Street, contains the line "Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game/But the Yankees grab the headlines every time." In the live version on his 2006 concert album 12 Gardens Live, Joel changed the lyrics to "Rose, he knows he'll never make the Hall of Fame," referring to his fall from grace since the song's original recording.

MLB All-Century team

In 1999, Rose was selected as an outfielder on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest players from the past century. Fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots.

An exception was made to his ban to allow him to participate in the pre-game introduction of the All-Century team before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series between the Braves and Yankees. Despite never having been a member of the Braves, Rose received the loudest ovation of the All-Century team members from the crowd at Turner Field in Template:City-state.

After the ceremony on live television, NBC's Jim Gray repeatedly asked Rose if he was ready to admit to betting on baseball and apologize. Many people were outraged over Gray's aggressive questioning, feeling that it detracted from the ceremony. In protest, Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis, at the behest of his team, refused to speak with Gray after his game-winning home run in Game 3. Others felt that given the contrast of Rose's banishment from baseball and his inclusion on the All-Century Team, the questions were appropriate. Earlier that season, Rose had been ranked at number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

While allowing him to participate in the All-Century Team, MLB has refused to allow him to participate in local events in Cincinnati, such as the 25th anniversary reunion of the Big Red Machine, the closing of Cinergy Field, and the opening of the Great American Ballpark.

Reinstatement efforts

In September 1997, Rose applied for reinstatement. Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, never acted on that application. He had previously applied for reinstatement in 1992, but then-commissioner Fay Vincent also never acted on it.

In public comments, Selig said he saw no reason to reconsider Rose's punishment, however, in March 2003, Selig acknowledged that he was considering Rose's application, leading to speculation that Rose's return might be imminent. Ultimately, however, Selig took no action. Even supporters of Rose's reinstatement concede that it is not likely that reinstatement will occur under Selig's tenure as commissioner.

On July 27, 2009, the New York Daily News reported that Commissioner Selig has seriously considered lifting Rose's lifetime suspension from baseball. The next day, Selig shot down these rumors and Rose will in fact remain suspended, indefinitely.

Coming clean

In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale Press on January 8, 2004, Rose finally admitted publicly to betting on baseball games and other sports while playing for and managing the Reds. He also admitted to betting on Reds games, but said that he never bet against the Reds. He repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. He also said in the book that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so that he could reapply for reinstatement.

In March 2007 during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Rose said, "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I bet on my team to win every night because I loved my team, I believed in my team," he said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game." Whether Rose bet every night is significant to whether he had an incentive to influence the team's performance depending on whether he had a bet down on a particular game. John Dowd disputed Rose's contention that he bet on the Reds every night, asserting that Rose did not bet on his team when Mario Soto or Bill Gullickson pitched. Both Gullickson and Soto had ERA's substantially poorer than others in the National League during 1987.

The criticism of Rose did not diminish after this admission—even some Rose supporters were outraged that Rose would suddenly reverse fifteen years of denials as part of a book publicity tour. In addition, the timing was called into question—by making his admission just two days after the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2004 inductees, Rose appeared to be linking himself publicly to the Hall. Further adding to the debate was the 2004 ESPN made-for-TV movie Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore as Rose, which documents Rose's gambling problem and his subsequent ban from baseball.

WWE

Between the years 1998 and 2000, Rose appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment's annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event. At WrestleMania XIV he served as "guest ring announcer" during a match between Kane and the Undertaker, after which he took a Tombstone Piledriver from Kane (nicknamed "The Big Red Machine" for his red ring attire). For the next year's WrestleMania XV, Rose was portrayed as seeking revenge. To do so he dressed as the San Diego Chicken and "attacked" Kane before his scheduled match, only to take another Tombstone. He returned for a third (and so far final) time the following year, at WrestleMania 2000, but again was thwarted by Kane, as well as his tag team partner that night, Rikishi.

In addition to these three appearances, he appeared in a Halloween-themed commercial for WWE's No Mercy event in 2002 and was chokeslammed by Kane. In 2004, Rose was inducted into the "Celebrity Wing" of the WWE Hall of Fame. He was the first celebrity to go into the Hall, and was inducted at a ceremony prior to WrestleMania XX.

Family

Pete Rose married Karolyn Englehardt on January 25, 1964, and the couple had two children, daughter Fawn (born on December 29, 1964) and son Pete Rose Jr. (born on November 16, 1969). The couple divorced in 1980. Rose married his second wife, Carol J. Woliung, in 1984. They have two children, son Tyler (born on October 1, 1984) and daughter Cara (born on October 9, 1989).

Two of Rose's children have lived public lives. Cara has worked as a television actress, appearing as a regular in the first season of the soap opera Passions and playing a recurring role on Melrose Place. She uses the stage name "Chea Courtney."

His oldest son, Pete Rose Jr., spent sixteen years as a minor league baseball player, advancing to the majors once for an 11-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. In his first Major League at-bat, Pete Jr. paid tribute to his father by imitating Pete Sr.'s famous batting stance. In November 2005, Rose Jr. was indicted for distributing gamma butyrolactone (GBL) to his Chattanooga Lookouts teammates in the late 1990s. Rose Jr. pled guilty to this charge on November 7, 2005, claiming that he distributed GBL to teammates to help them relax after games. On May 1, 2006, Rose Jr. was convicted on this charge and was sentenced to one month in federal prison, from June 5 to July 5, 2006. [3], and house arrest for 5 more months after release from prison. He currently resides in Florida.

Records and achievements

• Major League records:
  • Most career hits - 4,256
  • Most career outs - 10,328
  • Most career games played - 3,562
  • Most career at bats - 14,053
  • Most career singles - 3,215
  • Most career runs by a switch hitter - 2,165
  • Most career doubles by a switch hitter - 746
  • Most career walks by a switch hitter - 1,566
  • Most career total bases by a switch hitter - 5,752
  • Most seasons of 200 or more hits - 10
  • Most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits - 23
  • Most consecutive seasons with 600 or more at bats - 13 (1968-1980)
  • Most seasons with 600 at bats - 17
  • Most seasons with 150 or more games played - 17
  • Most seasons with 100 or more games played - 23
  • Record for playing in the most winning games - 1,972
  • Only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different positions - 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)
• National League records:
  • Most years played - 24
  • Most consecutive years played - 24
  • Most career runs - 2,165
  • Most career doubles - 746
  • Most career games with 5 or more hits - 10
  • Modern (post-1900) record for longest consecutive game hitting streak - 44
  • Modern record for most consecutive hitting streaks of 20 or more games - 7

Cultural references

Rose was mentioned in the 1981 Jimmy Buffett song "Growing Older But Not Up," in the lyrics, "I'm no Pete Rose/I can't pretend/While my mind is quite flexible/These brittle bones won't bend."

In the Family Guy episode Sibling Rivalry, when Stewie goes to play in the park, he goes to play on the jungle gym only to be confronted by a little boy. He remarks, “Hey, where’d you get the Pete Rose hair cut?” He then knees the boy in the crotch.

In an episode of Married... With Children, Al Bundy tries to tell Peggy about Jefferson D'Arcy's checkered past. Not wanting to say it directly, he hints "What do Jefferson, Pete Rose and your cousin all have in common?", to which Peggy responds "They've all been to prison!"

In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air entitled "Courting Disaster", Will Smith is joining the school basketball team when his uncle, Philip, says "Nothing like an organized sport to straighten a kid out," when the butler, Geoffrey, says "Yes, it did wonders for Pete Rose."

On an episode of the USA Network television show Psych entitled "Who Ya Gonna Call?", Shawn Spencer gets access to the crime scene by claiming that the "spirit of Pete Rose" contacted him.

On an episode of The King of Queens entitled "Sold-y Locks," Carrie Heffernan catches Doug talking to Robert Goulet about her new hair cut. When Carrie asks Robert what Doug said about her hair, Robert responds, "He said you look like Pete Rose." Doug defends himself by saying "He was the all time hits leader!"

On an episode of the mid-90's MTV show The State, there is a skit around a polar bear club who answers questions in unison by shouting "whoo-hoo" or "yea!" When one of the members is questioned about eating their frozen friend, he quickly changes the subject by shouting "Pete Rose!", in which everyone replies "HEY!" A character played by Kerry Kinney then turns to the camera and says "Pete Rose? What?"

On the Fall Out Boy album Folie à Deux, the song entitled "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet," is reference to Pete Rose.

In the movie Jerry Maguire, Jerry (Tom Cruise) mentions to Dorothy's (Renee Zellweger) son Ray that, "Did you know that the career record for most hits is 4256 held by Pete Rose and he is NOT in the hall of fame?"

In an episode of How I Met Your Mother entitled Aldrin Justice, Ted Moseby's boss Mr Druthers has his three times Pete Rose signed ball stolen from him by Lily. Mr Druthers also shows his outrage that Pete Rose is ineligible for the hall of fame.

In a 2009 episode of Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell revived his Harry Caray impression on SNL's Weekend Update to discuss (among other issues) concerns with his heavenly roommate Pete Rose. When Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers reminded him that Pete Rose was not dead, Caray admitted that there were signs that he may have been duped by someone who was actually Asian.

See also

• 3000 hit club
• List of Major League Baseball hit records
• List of Major League Baseball doubles records
• Major League Baseball scandals
• List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• DHL Hometown Heroes
• Major League Baseball All-Century Team
• Major League Baseball record holders
• List of Major League Baseball players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
• List of Major League Baseball batting champions
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• Major League Baseball consecutive games played streaks
• Major League Baseball titles leaders

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
• PeteRose.com - Official website
• WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Pete Rose
• baseball1.com - the Dowd Report on Rose's gambling
• baseball1.com agreement between Rose & MLB