The Last Time I Saw Pete Rose
Photo by Kjunstorm (Wikimedia Commons)
I was born in Chicago and grew up a Cubbies fan. Don’t worry about my current emotional state—back then it was fun. It was during the days of Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams. I saw them play – in person – at Wrigley Field. And if those names don’t mean anything to you, forget the Chicago Cubs—you’re not even a baseball fan.
But there is another name even a die-hard Cubbie fan knew, whether they liked it or not. His name was Pete Rose, nicknamed “Charlie Hustle.” He played from 1963 until 1986, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds. The “Big Red Machine,” as the Reds were known, dominated the National League throughout the seventies.
It's hard to overstate how good Rose was. Here’s just a taste of the records still standing from his career in Major League Baseball (MLB):
MLB’s all-time leader in hits
MLB’s all-time leader in games played
MLB’s all-time leader in at-bats
MLB’s all-time leader in singles
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 in – wait for it – an unprecedented and still unequaled five positions: second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman and first baseman.
But after all of that, he is not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility for gambling on baseball games while he played for (and managed) the Reds. The charges included betting on his own team. While initially denying the accusations, in 2004 he admitted they were true.
The first time I saw Rose was in his golden age, playing for the Reds, setting baseball afire with his passion and skill.
The last time I saw Rose was as an old and seemingly broken man, sitting alone in a sports memorabilia store in Las Vegas, signing autographs for a fee.
No one was in line.
Rose passed away last month at the age of 83.
I don’t know what he felt he was gaining by gambling, much less on his own team. Money, obviously, but he had to know that he was also gambling his legacy. A bet he lost. And no amount of money is worth that.
In a day when many are secretly gambling with their legacy, in one form or another, the life of Pete Rose stands as an important reminder.
No matter what it is you are gambling with – an illicit affair, the embezzlement of funds, a secret addiction – such bets will never pay off. And no matter how strong your record has been, it won’t save you. It will never speak louder than how your life ended.
And that is the lesson of Pete Rose that I will try to take with me, and from seeing him one last time before he died.
It is the lesson of finishing well.
James Emery White
Sources
Hillel Italie, “Pete Rose, Baseball’s Banned Hits Leader, Has Died at 83,” AP News, October 1, 2004, read online.
Bruce Weber, “Pete Rose, Baseball Star Who Earned Glory and Shame, Dies at 83,” The New York Times, September 30, 2024, read online.