Pete Rose was an absolute beast on the field. Love him or hate him, you can’t argue with his baseball talent. The man nicknamed Charlie Hustle is still MLB’s all-time hits leader and has a Hall of Fame resume.
However, it was Rose’s off-field activity that got him banned from baseball.
Rose was permanently placed on baseball’s ineligible list in 1989 for gambling on baseball. For many years, Rose denied that he wagered on the game he loved.
Later, Rose finally admitted that he did wager on MLB, however, he said that the wagers were only on his team – the Cincinnati Reds — to win. Nevertheless, the delay in Rose admitting he placed bets on the Reds may have been what led him to get the ban from baseball.
Now, with the Astros stealing signals scandal front and center, Rose chimed in with his feelings on the subject.
Pete Rose: Astros' cheating was worse than my bets https://t.co/s74cWn6LkG pic.twitter.com/9Q3nJ3j7gI
— theScore MLB (@theScoreMLB) January 14, 2020
According to an NJ.com report, Rose believes that what transpired in Houston was worse for baseball than his wagering scandal that took place over three decades ago.
“I bet on my own team to win,” Rose said. “That’s what I did in a nutshell. I was wrong, but I didn’t taint the game. I didn’t try to steal any games. I never voted against my team. I bet on my team every night because that’s the confidence that I had in my players. And I was wrong. But this (Astros’ situation) is a little different. It’s a lot different, actually, and I think that’s why the commissioner came down so hard.”
Rose was also impressed with strict punishment served to the Astros by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. However, Rose, like many others, is wondering if and when some of the club’s players will receive any sort of discipline.
“So they fire the GM, they fire the manager, and (MLB) probably is going to get (Red Sox manager) Alex Cora, who was the (Astros) bench coach at the time,” Rose explained. “But what about the players who were behind this and taking the knowledge? Should they get off scot-free?
Rose makes great points. If the players knew what was going on, shouldn’t something happen to them as well?
Rose played baseball in three different decades, for three teams — the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. He began his career in 1963 and he retired from the game in 1986. His 4,256 career hits is a record that may never be broken.