Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds lineup known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the 1970s. He also had a succesful stint playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won another World Series, as well as a brief stop with the Montreal Expos. During and after his playing career, he served as the manager of the Reds from 1984 to 1989.

Rose was a switch hitter and is the all-time MLB leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves and the Rookie of the Year Award. He also made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five positions (second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman and first baseman). Rose won both of his Gold Gloves when he was an outfielder, in 1969 and 1970.

In August 1989 (his last year as a manager and three years after retiring as a player), Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds; the charges of wrongdoing included claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. After years of public denial, Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and on the Reds. The issue of his possible reinstatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains contentious throughout baseball.

In June 2015, ESPN concluded its own investigation of Rose and determined that he had bet on baseball while still a player–manager. The results of the investigation were made public, revealing the records of bets that Rose had made on baseball. U.S. federal authorities had seized the records from one of Rose's associates. In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale, Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania on January 8, 2004, Rose 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 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 he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so he could reapply for reinstatement.

In 2004, ESPN broadcast the television film Hustle starring Tom Sizemore and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, which was primarily based on the Dowd Report without Pete Rose's involvement.

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."John Dowd disputed Rose's contention he bet on the Reds every night, asserting Rose did not bet on his team when Mario Soto or Bill Gullickson pitched. A notebook detailing Rose's daily betting activity shows Rose placed bets on five of the six games Soto started in 1987. The lone exception was April 26, 1987, when Rose allegedly placed bets on hockey and basketball games but no baseball games. There were also four games Rose did not bet on the Reds in which Gullickson started.The criticism of Rose did not diminish after this admission—some Rose supporters were outraged Rose would reverse 15 years of denial 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.

Even after his 2004 admission of gambling, Rose had described his violation of MLB rules with what journalist Kostya Kennedy described as "a kind of swagger, that familiar screw-you defiance". On September 11, 2010, however, at a roast of Rose held at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg in Indiana on the 25th anniversary of his 4,192nd hit and attended by many teammates, Rose wept while acknowledging he had "disrespected baseball". He apologized to Pérez and other members of the Big Red Machine, stating, "I guarantee everyone in this room I will never disrespect you again. I love the fans, I love the game of baseball, and I love Cincinnati baseball". His words and crying surprised those present; a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter said, "It felt completely unscripted, completely sincere and very powerful. I had covered Rose for more than 25 years and hadn't ever heard him like that."