Pete Rose is dead. Long live “Charlie Hustle.”
Rose, 83, died on September 30, 2024. He’s remembered for two things: Baseball’s all-time hit leader, and a lifetime ban from the sport for gambling on games.
He also tops the charts in games played, at-bats, singles, and outs. His baseball honors include 3 World Series championships, 3 batting titles, 2 Gold Gloves, an MVP, and Rookie of the Year. He played in 17 All-Star games.
This career should have easily landed him in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. But as a former player and manager under a lifetime ban, he’s ineligible, although the terms of his agreement to voluntarily accept the ban left a door open for reinstatement.
However, that door has remained shut. Rose applied several times, but was either brushed off or denied, not least because he was still gambling and seemed unrepentant (details here). Apart from his gambling, Rose also served prison time for federal tax evasion, making him a convicted felon.
Now that he’s dead, tributes to this “complex man” are pouring in (see story here). One commentator said, “There has never been another player like Pete Rose in my lifetime. This is the way I will remember him, playing the game harder than anyone else ever did.” Another, based in Cincinnati, said, “Pete Rose means a lot to a lot of people in this city. You may understand why. You may not understand why. But he does.”
But Major League Baseball’s forgiveness never came, and may never. It wouldn’t mean anything to him now. But that doesn’t make it meaningless. Forgiving the dead is for the benefit of the living; and would matter to those who loved this man, despite his human flaws, for the great and inspiring player he was.
In a world where even killers get parole, and one of the world’s great religions preaches forgiveness for everybody, maybe it’s time to finally forgive Pete Rose’s sins.
Photo below: Pete Rose in 2015
