Pete Rose, by Andy Warhol, photo by Don Sniegowski
By Clifford Jackson
I grew up in Wagner Houses in East Harlem. 54 years ago living there at the age of nine I became a fan of the Cincinnati Reds( The Big Red Machine). The most dominant team in Major League Baseball during the 1970’s winning six division titles 4 national league championships and two World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. The main reason why the Big Red Machine was so successful was Pete Rose. He was the heart and soul of that team and he was what baseball should be all about. He played hard and he played for the love of the game. That was shown with every hit and and his thunderous and aggressive play. That was demonstrated in the 1970 All star game and his famous knocking over catcher Ray Fosse at home plate to score for the national league. I remember seeing that with my late father and that certainly had an impression on me.
He had a perennial over 300 batting average , most players are not able to do that. His four thousand two hundred and fifty six hits is more than any other player in Major League Baseball history. The term “ team player “ is like every thing else in this society predicated on a lie a myth, but team player was exactly what Pete Rose was ,playing multiple positions in the outfield and third and first base. From what I can see as a fan back then and in retrospect , for Pete Rose it was never about the money it was indeed a “ love of the game “!
Very few athletes can say that no matter what sport they are in especially with the perversion of sports during this period because of George Steinbrenner and his stewarding the genesis of the free agent era that has had a rippling affect across the four major sports in this country. Rose said in a 1975 interview during the World Series in reference to the big red machine “It doesn’t matter who you are or what color you are as long you play as hard as you can”. I remember that and as a 14 year old living in coop city at the time and being exposed to the racism in from whites living there it also impacted me.
The Cincinnati Reds were quite culturally and racially diverse , echoing what Rose said. The line up had Pete Rose, Jonny Bench, George Foster, Caesar Geronimo, Ken Griffey, Jack Billingham, Pedro Borbon, Dave Concepcion, Don Gullet, Tony Perez , Bill Plummer and the great Joe Morgan.
The 1973 national league championship was memorable as far as an example where good pitching will always defeat good hitting. The NY Mets, led by Tom Seaver, defeated the Cincinnati Reds in a hard fought 5 game series 3 games to 2. The highlight of the series was Rose’s famous scuffle with Bud Harrelson that turned into a bench clearing brawl when he slid into second base causing Rose to be public enemy number one with Mets fans. Rose was booed vociferously by met fans with subsequent visits to shea Stadium. He was able to exact his revenge in an afternoon game at shea in 1978 , that I took my younger brother to see, where he hit three home runs as the Cincinnati Reds soundly defeated the Ny Mets 14-7.
Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of fame. What he did leading to his exile from Major League Baseball has categorically nothing to do with his stellar 23 year career. In a society where almost every sector and industry is corrupt and illegal activities happen daily especially in the banking, and Wall Street industries his violation is not significant. Especially where we have a former president of the United States running for president with 34 felonies, and with the fact that betting on sports is now legal, that Peter Edward Rose Sr. (Charlie Hustle) should be denied entry into the hall of fame. No one deserves entry more than him.
