Pete Rose's Hall of Fame Dreams Have Died

Fox News recently sat down with Pete Rose out in California and got his opinions on a whole host of things. There's a lot of "back in my day" talk in the interview, which always seems to come spewing out of the AARP demographic -- I will be there some day as well -- but there were also a few interesting nuggets of interest.

One: he doesn't seem as concerned about making it into the Hall of Fame anymore.

"I don't dream about being in the Hall Of Fame. It's not a dream. When I go to bed at night, all I pray for is that I get up the next morning."

For some time, I"ve sided with MLB on his one: Pete Rose broke the rules and thus, he should receive the appropriate punishment for it. However, he's also arguably the greatest hitter the game has ever seen and for that, I think he deserves his just rewards. Maybe he'll eventually nab a posthumous nod? Either way, no one can take away his on-field accomplishments.

And for those wondering about where that name Charlie Hustle actually emanates from, here's your answer:

"It was 1963, spring training in Ft. Lauderdale. The spring training coach said to me, 'Sit around, sonny, you might get in the game, you never know.' Next thing I know we needed a pinch-runner in the 11th inning, so they put me in. Guy hit a one-hopper to leftfield and I kept running, going to third and I slid head-first into third.

"The next guy hit a short sacrifice fly that the shortstop went back and caught, and I scored from third on a sacrifice fly. We won the game 3 to 2. After the game, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were sitting there talking to reporters. I don't know which one said it, but one of them said, 'Did you see that Charlie Hustle beat us today?' Next day in the New York papers it said, 'Charlie Hustle beats Yanks!' That's exactly how that name came."

Pete Rose: everyday he's hustlin', homie.

Via BBTF.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-31-2007 @ 9:47PM

Brian said...

Oh, God -- another "writer" who doesn't know his baseball history or is content to let Pete spin it. Whitey Ford created that name for Pete one day after watching his hot-dog crap. The nickname was not created for his "hustle" and work ethic, but because Pete had the mustard and catsup going all the time and was a jerk. Pete was getting mocked and just didn't recognize that and apparently still doesn't.

10-31-2007 @ 10:09PM

tobrien28 said...

Who owns the record for most hits ever? Pete Rose didn't violate any rules that affected his performance. He bet on games he played but he bet on himself. What is the problem there? He wasn't throwing the games and he wasn't cheating like Barry Bonds or McGuire. He should be inducted.

11-01-2007 @ 2:05AM

Karem said...

what a bunch of crap, Pete Rose, belongs before Gaylord Perry, Bart Giamatti, Ty Cobb, Before all the steroid freaks of the last 15 years, and of Faye Ray Vincent and Good ole Boy, what Good for the Bud, Brian you might know Bud but you don't know Jack about Pete

11-01-2007 @ 4:27AM

me said...

I JUST ABOUT CHOKED ON MY CIGAR WHEN I READ "PETE ROSE IS ARGUABLY THE GREATEST HITTER THE GAME HAS EVER SEEN " '

somebody should stay away from the "wacky tobaccy" before sitting down to write . a record of numbers caused by one's longevity doesn't make that player great .

the best thing that can be said of pete rose is that for over twenty years he played the game the way it is supposed to be played !

11-01-2007 @ 4:31AM

the year barry bonds is elected [ and he does belong ] pete rose , joe jackson , and al cicotte should also be enshrined . nothing has ever been proven in a court of law against any of the 4 .

11-01-2007 @ 11:48AM

Bill said...

Without Pete Rose The Phillies would have never made it to to the 80' title. Yes, most of us agree he went against MLB and bet on games but just like any other disease you just cant turn it off.
He has made he induction almost impossible just by being a jackass but thats Pete. He does things 'His'
way and always has.
Next to Bonds, Mac, Manny'corky' Sosa and the Perrry's... Rose is good to go!

11-01-2007 @ 10:47AM

karl rove said...

As Barry Bonds and Pete Rose illustrate, the difference between "induct" and "indict" is the difference between "u" and "i."

11-07-2007 @ 4:30PM

Peter Edward Rose is ThE most intense/hard nonsed/all time hit leader in the game. That record will stand for the next 50 years +.

WHAT?????????????????????

11-01-2007 @ 12:05PM

nyranger26 said...

Put in Pete and Shoeless Joe

11-01-2007 @ 1:42PM

art brzostowski said...

I thought he was a "hot Dog" until I watched him in Philly numerous times. He's for real , just plays hard tries to win and an outstanding teamate.(ask Schmidt or Ludzinski)He's a HOF player.

Gambling ------so what ,he didn't bet to loose.Do you honestly think Babe Ruth didn't gamble or drink to excess? And many other sport figures.

I would rather see him hustling & talking with his actions than some of these bums who talk trash ,try & show up a pitcher by watching a ball go out & on & on. To the Commiss. make it right put him on the ballot.

11-01-2007 @ 1:59PM

HallNeedsaRose said...

All time hit leader Pete Rose not in the Hall of fame,rediculous. Longevity or not no other man could play long enough or hit better to beat the all time hit record of 4,256 hits yet lesser degree hit masters made it. The Hall of Fame is the loser, they don't have the best at hitting to display.

11-29-2007 @ 7:18PM

bachslunch said...

tobrien 28 wrote:

"Pete Rose didn't violate any rules that affected his performance. He bet on games he played but he bet on himself. What is the problem there? He wasn't throwing the games and he wasn't cheating like Barry Bonds or McGuire. He should be inducted."

Several points:

1. Rose bet on games while serving as a manager and player. And there's a sign in every major league clubhouse -- has been for years, and long before Rose's time -- explaining that betting on baseball is cause for expulsion from the game. It's baseball's equivalent to the death sentence and crystal clear. Rose bet on baseball anyway. It's his own choice to do, his own fault, and he deserves no sympathy.

2. betting on your own team to win doesn't make things any better. It can affect managerial decisions, such as which players you use -- or which pitchers you perhaps overuse -- to help win the games you bet on. It also sends a message to bookies and like folks regarding the games you DON'T bet on, that maybe these are games you're not taking so seriously as a manager. This all can indeed affect your performance as a player or manager.

3. the steroids issue doesn't equate here. Steroids were not banned from major league baseball in any sense until 2004, and no policy with serious teeth was enacted until 2005.

One source:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2005-01-12-steroid-policy_x.htm

Mark McGwire had retired before then, and there's no evidence as of yet that Barry Bonds used them from 2004 on. Whether one thinks it's "cheating" or not is irrelevant.

11-29-2007 @ 7:43PM

Karem wrote:

"the year barry bonds is elected [ and he does belong ] pete rose , joe jackson , and al cicotte should also be enshrined . nothing has ever been proven in a court of law against any of the 4 ."

This statement regarding Rose, Jackson, and Cicotte needs to be taken with a gigantic grain of salt, to put it kindly.

1. re Rose. To cite Wikipedia, "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." In other words, Rose did this and in return avoided going to trial or having any other such sanction, where he would almost certainly have been found guilty. See the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose

and more importantly, see this link, which shows copies of things like checks, bookie slips, and phone calls documenting Rose's betting.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/p_rosec.shtml

2. re Cicotte and Jackson. Again citing Wikipedia: "in September 1920, a grand jury was convened to investigate [the Black Sox scandal]. During the investigation two players, Cicotte and Jackson, confessed...[but] [p]rior to the trial, key evidence went missing from the Cook County Courthouse, including the signed confessions of Cicotte and Jackson, who subsequently recanted their confessions, as discussed on p.257 of Eight Men Out. The players were acquitted. Some years later, the missing confessions reappeared in the possession of Comiskey's lawyer. (Eight Men Out, p.289-291)." Given this, it seems that Cicotte and Jackson were only spared almost certain conviction in the matter through a, shall we say, fortunate disappearance of crucial evidence.

See this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sox_Scandal

12-29-2007 @ 1:56PM

petebacker said...

Well I look at it this way. There are a lot of guys in the hall that have drug arrests, domestic violence arrests, and so on. Don't look at their habits. Look at their performance. I would rather have a gambler than a drug user or wife beater in the hall.

12-29-2007 @ 8:32AM

They couldn't have had the "Big Red Machine" without all of them. Take one out and no machine! From the Dog, to Charlie Hustle, to the Main Spark, to Foster, Concepcion, Morgan, and the rest, the whole machine should be inducted!