01x02 - The Dirty Work

[bunniefuu]

Hello, Mr. Rose.

- Hi.

- How are you?

- How are you?

- Good.

- How are you?

- Good, good.

- And you?

Nice to see y'all.

Hi, how are you?

- How are you, Pete?

Hey, how are you?

Man, you guys know I

got bad f*cking knees.

Where am I walking?

Down to the stadium?

Why not?

We welcome to the

Hard Rock four people

who need no introduction, and

yet I'm going to do it anyway.

Of course you know,

nearest to me, Pete Rose,

of course, George

Foster, Ken Griffey Sr.,

and Marty Brennaman.

Pete, we'll start with you.

If you were manager of the

Reds, finish this sentence

"If I were manager of

the Reds, I would"

Go to church every day.

I don't know whose

fault it is down there.

It'll boil down to the players,

but I can't blame the manager.

I mean, you know, when I

managed the Reds for all

those years, I

never thought I sent

the wrong guy up to pinch hit.

I never thought I brought the

wrong guy in to face the hitter

that was in the batter's box.

But it doesn't always work out.

What makes a good manager?

One thing.

Does anybody know what it is?

Good players.

You're only as good as

the guy in front of you

or the guy behind you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the greatest player

in the history of

baseball, Pete Rose.

Batting first and

playing left field,

number 14, Pete Rose.

One of the game's

greatest players

has engaged in a variety of acts

which have stained the game.

That's what I

think of Pete Rose.

Boo!

Mr. Rose has

accepted baseball's

ultimate sanction, which

is lifetime ineligibility.

Yeah, it's a tough case.

I mean, you know,

it's a tough one,

but a big injury if

he had you know,

with the reconstructive.

I mean, Chris is a highly

capable senior guy,

so he knows what to do.

But I'll I'll join soon also.

OK.

All right, I'll see you later.

Thanks.

Me? Yeah.

I'm meeting with Dan Halem,

who is the second in command.

I have been pursuing

meetings with MLB

on Pete for about two years.

And this is the end result

of that pursuit of getting

a discussion now timely

about the reinstatement issue

and how they view it.

I haven't pursued reinstatement

for a lot of people.

Rose has been declared

permanently ineligible

to participate in baseball.

But under the rules of

Major League Baseball,

he has the right to apply for

reinstatement in one year.

My life is baseball.

I hope to get back into baseball

as soon as I possibly can.

Pete is a unique

character in that

a lot of what he's

gone through in life

was sort of self-inflicted.

I don't think I have a

gambling problem at all.

I had a couple of really good

attorneys that said, nope,

don't admit you bet on anything.

I didn't think they

had any kind of proof,

and that's what I did.

Giamatti based his

decision on two things

evidence of the

commissioned report

by Special Investigator

John Dowd and the lack

of a formal defense by Rose.

Dowd was a professional

prosecutor.

He brought down mafia people.

They had gathered all the

information they needed

within a couple of weeks.

As he tells the story, he

talked to Rose himself.

He showed Rose's lawyers

all of the evidence,

all of the material.

I wish we had videotaped it.

He changed colors.

You know, he went from white

to yellow to green to gray.

I mean, you know when

you're dead in the water,

and the facts were

just overwhelming.

And the only thing

I can tell the fans

is, I did not bet on baseball.

The agreement he signed with

the commissioner's office

in 1989 did not find that

Rose bet on baseball.

But right after the

deal was struck,

Bart Giamatti offered

his personal opinion

on the subject.

I am confronted by the

factual record of Mr. Dowd,

and on the basis of that,

yes, I have concluded

that he bet on baseball.

- Was there

- I know

Was there a smoking g*n here

Wait a moment. No, wait.

Don't scream.

We're going to be here

all day if you want.

Just take it easy.

- Was there a smoking g*n?

Bart said, Pete would have

had to reconfigure his life

in order to get the commissioner

to change his mind.

And he would have

had a lot of help.

We had doctors willing to

help, Gamblers Anonymous.

It's just, you have

to be honest first.

Rose remains confident that

if he reconfigures his life,

Giamatti's successor, Fay

Vincent, or his successor

eventually will show

leniency and reinstate

him into baseball.

Every case is a different case.

Every commissioner is a

different commissioner.

If Pete Rose had come forward

and said, look, Bart, I bet

on baseball, sure, you got me.

Look at all the evidence.

I can't deny it. I'm sorry.

I want to work for you.

I'll do anything you

want for a few years

I think that would have changed

the equation significantly.

Thank you.

Welcome back to "The

Pete Rose Show."

If you want to talk

about Joe Montana,

you want to talk about

hockey or basketball

And you still insist

you never bet baseball.

No, absolutely.

Gambling on baseball did not get

me in trouble because no one has

ever proved I bet on baseball.

I join millions of baseball fans

around the world in

hoping that someday soon,

someday very soon, Pete Rose

will be standing right here.

Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt came

to see you as commissioner.

- They did.

And

And Johnny Bench

and a few others.

Did he acknowledge guilt?

Not that day.

Are you willing to show

contrition, admit that you

bet on baseball, and make

some sort of an apology

to that effect?

Not at all, Jim.

Not at all.

I'm not going to admit

something that didn't happen.

With the overwhelming

evidence

No

that is in that

report, why not make

that step with this opening?

It's too much of a festive

night to worry about that.

I mean, I because

I don't know what

evidence you're talking about.

Yes, I did.

And that was my mistake, not

coming clean a lot earlier.

Has he been 100% truthful?

Well, that's very

different you mean with me?

I want baseball and

Pete Rose to be friends.

So I can say I'm not

an outsider looking in.

I got grandkids.

They want their grandpa to

be associated with baseball.

That's all.

I think realistically, a good

outcome is leaving the meeting

with a feeling that there

are steps in the process,

but that they're

open to doing it.

Why do it when he's no longer

around to make an impact?

It would sort of seem

unfortunately cruel

at that point.

Better give you

back your microphone

or they will think

that I'm wired.

They, like, pat me down.

Jeff's on a crusade

to get me reinstated.

And evidently he has pretty good

contacts at the

commissioner's office,

including the commissioner.

And if he makes it

sound to baseball

like it's going to help

baseball, he'll get it done.

Precedent is going

to matter to them.

And precedent is going to be

vitally important that you give

them a reason why

you should shift

or alter off that precedent.

70 years ago, eight players,

including Shoeless Joe Jackson,

banned from baseball for life

because they tried to fix

games in the World Series,

a series ultimately won

by, of all teams, Cincinnati.

Gambling has been

intertwined in baseball

since the very beginning.

The 1919 World Series is

synonymous with the White Sox,

or better known as the

Black Sox, who allegedly

threw the World Series.

Those eight men,

they did take money.

They were then

banned from baseball

permanently, including the

great Shoeless Joe Jackson.

And he was probably a

Hall of Fame player.

Because of his involvement

with the White Sox,

he is not enshrined

in Cooperstown.

I hate people who talk about me,

and they start talking

about Joe Jackson.

Joe Jackson was a

great player, OK?

But Joe Jackson took

money to throw a baseball

game in the World Series.

I bet on my own team to win.

Sorry, Joe.

I'll be up there soon.

You just hang in there.

We got some stories

to go over up there.

So there's a big difference

taking money to throw a game

or betting on your

own team to win.

Interesting, good meeting.

We got a very

positive reception.

Extremely professional.

Very nice.

And I am incredibly encouraged.

I think MLB and

the Hall have been

public with what type

of response and attitude

they want to see from Pete.

And I think if Pete wants

this during his lifetime,

or especially in the short term,

Pete has to participate in

it and show that he wants it.

Hey, Marty.

What?

What the hell is wrong with you?

You

you gotta to be the only

guy in the world whose wife

gets a f*cking bobblehead.

Bobblehead.

She's a cottage industry

in her own right.

I know that.

She does TV

commercials and sh*t.

Come on, Pete.

Oh, it's good to

see you, though.

It's been a while.

- It is.

- You look good.

Thank you. So do you.

Still got them jugs, don't you?

You know, they're still

they're still a

part of me, yeah.

They haven't gone anywhere.

You're all sick.

You're all both still sick.

Old, sick, old men.

No, I'm joking.

One time we were sick young men.

24 years, he played

in the big leagues.

He retired with a .303

batting average in a lifetime.

He also happened to be

and still is today

in a record that

probably will never be broken.

And that is the all-time

hits leader with 4,256.

Please welcome Pete Rose!

How are you doing?

- Here we go.

- Wait a minute.

My phone is ringing.

It might be the commissioner.

Now you're gonna cut that phone.

That just put me

another 10 feet.

There's a famous

group in New York

City called the Friars Club.

Their motto was

and still is today

"We only roast

the ones we love."

Well, since Johnny Bench

couldn't be here tonight,

we got

- Oh.

Oh.

Yeah, but if Johnny

was here, you know,

he'd have half the crowd.

Ooh!

That's not fair.

Just kidding.

Pete, I'd be interested to

know the first impressions

from these two guys.

Griffey, of course, was

in the Reds organization,

came up through the system.

Foster, of course,

came to the Reds

from the San Francisco

Giants in one

of the great trades in the

history of this franchise.

Griff was Mr. Personality.

Everybody was happy.

Mr. Personality.

He was the mixer,

this kid over here.

You were the mixer. Yeah.

- Well, I

- You were the agitator.

You started all that

bullshit in the clubhouse.

I wouldn't have to do

anything like that, Pete.

I'm not going to

lie to them, Griff.

Pete.

This time.

What?

He's been waiting all

night to use that line.

I know.

Waiting all night to

use that damn line.

And we love to

heckle each other.

I mean, the better you play,

the more you got on your a*s.

That was the Big Red Machine.

Batting first,

playing third base

he's had over 200

hits a season, seven

times number 14, Pete Rose.

You know, not many teams

have a nickname, but we did.

We all knew what our job was.

And we could do our

job like no one else.

And we did it

every freakin' day.

Swung on a looper down

the left field line.

That's going to be

in for a base hit.

Here's Rose taking a turn.

He'll settle for a single.

Low hit to right field.

No way Sanguillén can get him.

He couldn't get him

if he had a g*n.

The Big Red Machine is

arguably the best team

ever assembled in baseball.

That was the center of

the baseball universe,

Riverfront Stadium in 1975.

To grow up in that area of

the country in the '70s with

Pete Rose, I mean, how fortunate

was I to be there for that?

In Cincinnati, the Reds

were a public trust.

That's where it all started.

They were the first

team in the 1860s.

And you felt it.

It's similar to the Packers.

You say "Green Bay,"

people go, Packers.

In those years, you said

"Cincinnati," people went Reds.

Base hit for Perez.

What I loved was the identity

that he gave us as a city

on the world stage.

The throw is not in time.

Cincinnati invented hustle.

I hear this all the time.

And that's what Cincinnati

sees itself as

as the hustle.

They just do everything right.

Pitch, hit, run, especially run.

Great base running team.

They're gonna go up against

a great young catcher.

Here it is, Joe Morgan.

The Reds win the National

League Championship.

It's going to be Boston and

Cincinnati for the World

Championship starting Saturday

in Boston, Little Fenway Park.

Well, Johnny Bench,

Tony Perez

First time I met Pete Rose

was at the '75 World Series,

the year I graduated

from college.

I was 21 at "The

Boston Globe."

So I was just thrilled

to have a credential.

I was kind of a runner for Peter

Gammons's copy or whatever.

But I got to meet him

behind the batting cage,

and he radiated

everything that he is.

You know, he was c*ck and

confident and charming.

So if you were a Red

Sox fan, you hated him.

But if he were a Red

Sox, he would have

been a picture on our mantle

on every mantle in New England.

Good evening, everybody

around the world, Curt Gowdy

and Marty Brennaman.

Yes, there is a game

6 to the World Series.

We finally got a

break in the weather.

The northeaster that hung

around Boston for three days

has blown away.

Remember, the Reds need to win

tonight, and it's all over.

A Red Sox win would send

it into its final game

tomorrow night.

Well, the players

for three days,

what have they been thinking?

What have they been doing?

My memory was in

Fenway, you know,

when you imagine Pete

Rose at the plate,

you know, crouched like a kid

in the backyard or something,

and the fans would

yell, "Stand up!

Hit it like a man!"

Again, Armbrister on the

move, and Rose lines a base

hit to center field.

Armbrister will

try to go to third.

And Lynn

I have to say, that

was the greatest

World Series ever played.

Reds trail 3-0, but

they're threatening

with one out in the fifth.

And a fly ball deep

to center field.

Lynn going way back, way back.

And he can't make the play.

It's off the wall.

One run comes in.

Here comes Rose

with the second run.

And Freddie Lynn is first.

3-0, 3-3, 6-3, 6-6.

Last time I went up to bat,

I looked back at Carlton,

and I says, are you having fun?

I said, isn't this

isn't this a hoot,

playing a game like we are?

Bottom of the 12th inning.

6 runs, 14 hits, no

errors for Cincinnati.

6 runs, 9 hits, 1

error for Boston.

And Fisk will lead it off.

Has a single and

has walked twice.

He's been on base three times.

Here's Fisk.

There it goes.

A long drive.

If it stays fair, home run!

We will have a seventh game

in this 1975 World Series.

Carlton Fisk becomes

the first player

in this series to hit one

over the wall into the net.

Red Sox win it 7

to 6 in 12 innings.

How many steps

did he take? One?

He waits to see it.

Get over! Get over!

He knew it.

There it is.

I tell you, one of

the more dramatic home

runs in World Series history.

And there is Tom Yawkey

I remember when we

got beat in game 6,

Sparky was in the clubhouse.

He looked at me, and he said,

Big Red Machine, my a*s.

How do you guys blow that game?

I said, Spark, Spark, did you

see that celebration they had?

That's game 6.

They got to come back tomorrow.

Another game tonight.

It's one season right

down to one game.

Good luck to you.

All the money is

on the line, and

all the glory is on the line.

And we're playing for

them diamond rings.

And we just hope

that we can Bill Lee.

He's a tough pitcher.

And they got to get Don

Gullett, who's tough.

Ball 4.

He's on again.

Base hit right here.

Carbo scores.

3 and 0 pitch.

Ball 4.

Another run across.

Red Sox lead 3-0 as

Yastrzemski scores.

In that World Series

game 7, the Red Sox

take a 3-run lead early on.

But people always remember

that game for the eephus pitch.

Oh, there it is.

Slow eephus curveball.

Perez wanted nothing of it.

Which was the third time Bill

Lee threw it to Tony Perez

in that World Series.

Tony said that when

he threw that pitch,

there was a little

hesitation when his leg

kicked forward and landed.

And he made Tony look silly.

And Tony remembered that.

And if you've ever

wondered what it looks

like from a sportscaster's

advantage

Right there.

Now, here we go with Pete

Rose at the top of the order

in the sixth inning.

There's a base hit by

Rose into right field.

And the third fourth inning

in a row the Reds have had

their leadoff batter get on.

A lot of people don't understand

how important every play is.

Johnny Bench has grounded out.

Flying out to deep

center. Ball up short.

They've got one

and turn it over.

Wild throw by Doyle

into the dugouts.

They had the double play,

and Doyle threw it away.

We were down 3 runs.

And I go into second

and hit Denny Doyle.

Now watch Denny.

He knows Pete Rose is coming.

And Rose called this wild throw.

Pete broke up the

play and, of course,

almost crippled Denny Doyle.

And Doyle has been charged

with his second error

of the night.

Bench winds up at second.

2 down.

Tony Perez up, is grounded

out and popped up.

Red Sox ahead

Tony Perez, he saw that

little hesitation that he had

noticed those other two times.

And he said, this is it.

He's thrown me he's thrown

me that damn thing again.

There's his blooper pitch.

There it is.

A high drive. He was

waiting for that one.

That one is gone,

over everything.

And now we have another 1-run

ball game in this World Series.

That was a tape

measured home run.

Red Sox fans have not

gotten over that yet.

Reds threatening in the seventh.

2 down.

Now the switch-hitting

Pete Rose is coming up.

There's a line shot to center.

Here's a man rounding third.

Here comes the throw.

It is not in time.

The other runners advance.

And the Reds have tied it.

So if I don't break

that double play up,

you know, we don't

ever tie that game.

There's a looper. It drops.

It's in for a hit.

Here comes the throw to third.

Rose hits the dirt.

He's safe.

And there goes Morgan

down to second.

And the Reds have

the lead 4 to 3,

as Joe Morgan blooped a

base hit into center field.

It never happens to some people.

I don't think Ernie Banks

ever won a World Series.

You have to experience

taking that trophy

and holding it up like that

to know what it feels like.

Top of the ninth inning.

He put the Reds ahead.

There's a high fly ball.

It should be all over.

Gerónimo's under.

And Cincinnati has won

the World Championship,

beating the Boston

Red Sox 4 to 3.

The Reds win it in Fenway Park.

They wanted this one badly

after winning 108 times

this year.

One of the best World

Series of modern times

for the baseball

fans of America.

You know, to the casual

observer of baseball,

the moment of the '75

series that's etched in all

of our minds is Carlton

Fisk's, you know, stay fair,

running down, winning game 6.

But the Reds won.

The Reds won that World Series.

I just want to remind everybody.

You can't win in game 6.

I'm sorry.

You know, just because he's

doing this here doesn't mean

they won the World Series.

But we we explained

that to them quickly.

Joe, for the 115th

time this season,

this one belongs to the

Reds. And it was a big one.

Right on.

This is the biggest one

I've ever played in, Marty.

We come from behind. It

looked like we were dead.

But we never die.

This is an

unbelievable ball club.

And I'm just so happy, man.

I can't tell you how much.

And Pete Rose is unbelievable.

He got all the clutch hits

every time we needed one.

I know Bench raised the trophy.

Morgan raised the trophy.

Perez raised the trophy.

Concepción did.

But when I raised the

trophy, it meant more to me

than anybody else because,

hey, I was born there.

I couldn't be happier

if I had all the money

in the world and everything.

This is the happiest

moment of my life.

I'm scared I'm going

to have a coronary.

I really

- Pete, congratulations.

- For everybody.

- Peter!

Here's Clay Carroll.

You can say I didn't respect

the game when I bet on it.

And you're probably right.

But however, up till that time,

as far as playing the game,

I played the game right.

I'm going to tell

you right now, OK?

You can put this on

the camera right there.

I put it on the field in

front of millions of people

that I love the

game of baseball.

And that's a fact.

We're happy to be back

here as world champions.

We hope you love us

because we love you,

because you helped make

Cincinnati the baseball

capital of the world.

Thank you.

Pete Rose! Pete Rose!

Pete Rose! Pete Rose!

Pete Rose!

You guys should interview my son

while you're in Cincinnati.

We're going to

interview your son.

I want to interview your son.

I want to talk about him.

He he lived it.

He definitely lived it.

And he had a long

career as Pete Rose Jr.

Got 2,000 hits in the minors.

2,000.

That's a lot of f*cking hits.

He got f*cked because of me.

You know, when I got in

trouble, a lot of people

took it out on him in the

minor league stadiums.

So that's how cruel

people could be.

It's tough to follow

a guy like me.

Everyone ready?

We are ready and speeding.

Always one last thing.

What's your T-stop over there?

I'm at a 2.

Let's go down to 1.5.

I'm at a 4.5.

We're good.

0.1.

Yeah, whatever it takes.

- All right.

What's going on today?

Let me know what your

life's like today.

You in baseball today?

No, I'm retired.

I'm a full-time father,

just a normal

a normal person, which is good.

I was a baseball

player for 21 years

and then managed for

another seven or eight.

May get back in

maybe in the future

once the kids are

up and out of here.

But just kind of nice

to be a normal guy.

I'm a Rose.

My idol is number 14.

I knew what I was going

to do at a young age,

or what I wanted to do.

But the reason I wanted to do it

was because I always wanted

to be at my dad's side.

So but it was normal.

It was normal, and it

was a great childhood.

You know, when I was growing up,

hard-nosed, can't

cry in front of Dad.

My sister couldn't

cry in front of Dad.

You know, if we lost,

we had to walk home.

We couldn't eat.

I'm just joking.

But we didn't move.

We stayed here.

I went to school here.

I was known as Pete.

I wasn't known as

Pete Rose's son.

You know, everybody

knew me as Pete.

The only difference was and

it was great we got to go

to the ballpark every night.

I got to put my uniform on.

And as a little kid,

you can ask him,

but I had to have

stitched in uniform.

I had to be exactly like my dad.

Wore batting gloves to school.

Took my glove to school.

I wore turf shoes to prom.

Come on.

I remember being really

jealous of Pete Rose Jr.

Because I'd see him as a batboy,

and I was like, how come he

gets to be in the dugout?

He's got his name on

the back of his jersey.

I want a jersey.

Want my name on the

back of a Reds jersey.

It helps to know a player.

You'd have Pete Jr.,

Eduardo and Victor Perez

And Ken Griffey Jr., and

they're just running around.

We lived in the clubhouse.

And Sparky Anderson would

actually get the kids together

and would tell us the rules.

If the team wins, you're

allowed in the clubhouse

after the game.

If the team loses, you're

not allowed in the clubhouse

after the game.

We had to watch the game.

And then we had to

yell at the umpires.

So what did that create?

Kids up in the stands

rooting for their old men

to win the game

because they wanted

to come into the clubhouse.

The clubhouse was fun.

That was a big

advantage for the sons.

Luckily for us, in the

'70s, the Reds won a lot.

It's World Series

time in baseball,

the culmination of the

six-month baseball season.

And this year's 1976 World

Series, the New York Yankees

and the Cincinnati Reds.

Here's Joe Morgan.

Morgan hit .320, 27 home

runs, 111 runs batted in,

stole 60 bases in 69 attempts.

Come on, Joe, hit

one out of here.

Uh-oh.

There she goes!

Deep to right field.

Could be out of here.

1-0 Cincinnati.

Base hit left field.

We're going to have a race.

Here comes Griffey.

Here comes the throw.

Cincinnati wins it 4 to 3.

Uh-oh.

That is that is gone.

Man, that ball

jumped out of here.

How easy he made that look.

Dan Driessen.

Deep to left field.

Get out of here!

Home run.

It's a home run, as Johnny Bench

has just hit his second

home run of the night,

a 3-run homer.

The Cincinnati Reds win the

World Series in four straight.

It was a sweep.

The final score, Cincinnati

7, the New York Yankees 2.

Pete.

Hey, congratulations.

You repeated.

You proved you can play with

anybody and maybe any team

in the history of baseball.

It's a great ball club,

a great bunch of guys.

You got to give credit

to Bench tonight.

He swung the bat

in the whole series

and hit two home runs tonight.

But it's tough to

win two in a row.

And here we are, and

we're just very happy.

Better club than last year?

Oh, this is the best

club in 14 years

I've been associated

with at Cincinnati.

And I think it was

strictly a team

It felt like my dad is

a superhero, period.

But, you know, we never

looked at it that way.

But now looking

back on it, I mean,

you can understand on why

he was such a big deal here.

Midnight last night, the

Cincinnati Reds within the

hour had won their second

straight World Series victory.

The Reds got little if any

sleep before they reported

to Riverfront at 11:30 for

the parade and Fountain

Square program in their honor.

He's our guy.

If you're from here, if

you're a true Cincinnatian,

you know, he's our Babe Ruth.

I mean, that's the

only way to put it.

If Yankee Stadium was the

house that Ruth built,

it is no exaggeration to

say that Riverfront Stadium

is the house that Rose built.

Pete Rose is one of those

rare individuals who

has transcended

his sport and has

become a piece of Americana.

Charlie Hustle is surely an

inspiration for the young

and the young at heart.

This Cincinnati restaurant

carries the Pete Rose name.

He doesn't own it, but

gets a small royalty

on total food sales.

When I made the big leagues,

I got a $7,000 bonus

when I signed with the Reds.

And I won Rookie of the

Year, and I jumped that

all the way up to $12,000.

Then I jumped that

up to $46,000.

Then I jumped that

up to $150,000.

The phone rings all

the time in my house.

Do this commercial,

do that commercial,

and do this commercial.

And I don't go out

soliciting commercials.

They call me.

I don't call them.

He has the usual

millionaire toys, more

money tied up in

wheels than most men

earn in three or four years.

It got to the point where,

hey, I made enough money,

I can do what I want to do.

Pete, for example, is a

great humanitarian, you know,

with kids.

Football, baseball,

basketball, and hockey.

He taught those kids

how to bet on them all.

No.

I couldn't see it

overtaking his life.

He loved it.

So did a lot of people.

It's estimated that $30

billion, $30 billion,

is bet illegally each

year in this country

on sporting events, a lot

of it bet on pro football.

Instead of Jimmy the Greek,

we're going to have to go

with Peter the Irishman today.

All right, up to you now, Rose.

Tampa Bay against the Giants.

How about those Buccaneers?

They're for real.

And they're going to win today.

- They're going to win easy

This is the first time they've

ever been favored on

the road in the history

of the franchise.

Where did you get

all that stuff?

You're pretty good.

I follow football pretty good.

Tampa Bay will win today.

All right, now the rest of the

schedule, you agree with

Were you betting

baseball at the time?

I don't remember.

What about football?

I you know what?

I really sure, I bet on

football, Sunday football.

I used to think

Monday night football

was to get even for Sunday.

But did you feel like

what you were doing

was OK because

other people knew?

That's what I'm asking.

Well, I thought what I

was what I was doing,

most guys were doing.

Calling up a bookmaker and

betting on Sunday night

football or Monday

night football,

that's not going

to affect my job.

Ever since he arrived in

the majors 15 years ago,

attention has constantly

focused on Pete Rose.

With the media, if he liked you

or if he recognized the name of

your publication, he was great.

I was covering baseball

for "Sports Illustrated."

So I saw him a lot.

Now, his remarkable

consecutive game

hitting streak has

magnified the attention

like never before.

Pete Rose hit safely in his 33rd

straight game last night and

goes for number 34 tonight.

He's got it. It's in there.

It's there!

All right!

Number 35 and an RBI!

Pete Rose is

continually blessed.

Rose's streak also put

considerable attention

on the man he was

chasing, Tommy Holmes,

who set the National

League mark of 37 in 1945.

Line drive, base hit left field,

and Pete Rose has broken

the record of Tommy Holmes.

Number 38.

And they're going wild at Shea.

And he gets a standing

ovation from a crowd that

has swelled because of him.

It just so happened the Mets had

Tommy Holmes on their payroll.

And they trotted Tommy

out onto the field,

and there was a ceremony.

Pete offered him the ball.

And there goes Tommy

Holmes down to first base.

There is Tommy Holmes.

And what a thrilling

moment this is.

It was the kind of

generous gesture

that Pete Rose would make in

recognition and appreciation

for old baseball.

Tommy Holmes said

to Pete last night,

"Thanks for bringing me

back to the Major Leagues."

That's about the time that

you got every major sports

publication in the

country following

the club game by game.

Hello, everybody.

This is Atlanta-Fulton

County Stadium,

where one of the

biggest Atlanta Braves

crowds of the entire

year has turned

out to follow one of the

biggest sports stories

of recent years.

They were here en

masse to watch Pete

Rose take batting practice.

If he can get a hit tonight,

he will tie the all-time

National League record

of 44, which was compiled

in 1897 by Wee Willie Keeler.

Hard hit ball.

Past the second

baseman Gilbreath.

And Pete Rose has

done it, a base hit

in the 44th consecutive game.

And everyone in Atlanta

Stadium is on their feet.

People hung on every at bat.

The fans would cheer him

and root for their own team,

but they would always

cheer Pete Rose.

And now there is only

one number, one name

left as a goal for Pete Rose

56 games, Joe DiMaggio, 1941.

Obviously, Joe DiMaggio

holds the all-time record,

56, in the modern era.

You were up in the

40s at one time.

How lucky do you have to be?

Can you put it in context?

Yeah, because when

the streak ended

in Atlanta against Gene

Garber and McWilliams,

I hit two seeds.

There's a ball hit right

back to McWilliams.

And he stabs at it and gets it,

and he stops Pete Rose there.

He lines it right at Horner.

And Horner will get the double

play because Dave Collins

Baseball's a lucky game.

There's eight guys out there

with this rag on their hand

trying to catch the ball.

Listen to this ovation for Rose.

It's a standing ovation.

In other words, what

these fans are saying,

hit or no hit,

Pete, we love you.

Here it is.

He's up for his last turn.

He's got to do it right here,

or his streak is broken.

He bunts.

Foul.

Boy, you could feel it.

Now the 0-1.

Ball inside.

1 ball, 1 strike.

I was looking at

that last at-bat.

Did you did you have

a pitch to hit there?

No.

Inside.

2 and 1.

A walk kills it, too.

You got to remember, I

think I'm right about this,

but the score was 16 to 4.

I didn't expect

Gene Garber to throw

me one right down Broadway

in the express lane, OK?

However, if I'd have

went up without a bat,

I'd have walked on four pitches.

31,000 on their feet yelling.

His streak in danger.

Now the 2-2.

No good!

Miss!

Rose's streak is broken!

The Braves win!

And Rose is getting

another standing ovation!

Rose strikes

I was a little surprised.

I guess Garber's

got a job to do.

But he pitched to me like

it was the seventh game

of the World Series.

Do you feel relieved?

No, I feel pissed off.

That's how I feel.

Yeah.

I just went 0 for 4,

and we got beat 16 to 4.

I don't feel relieved

about anything.

Are you anxious to

start another streak?

Yeah, I sure am.

What we got left now?

56 games.

That's what we got

left on the season now.

Yeah.

I wouldn't want to do that.

I would go crazy all winter.

- Hey.

- Jeffrey.

- Pete.

- How are you, my man?

- Good to see you.

- Have a seat.

Thanks for coming.

You look good.

You lost weight.

Did you ever go

to the eye doctor?

I'm getting cataract

surgery on the 21st.

You are?

Yeah.

When you were

playing, did they ever

tell you what your vision was?

- 15/20.

- Really?

Yeah. I had great eyes.

You ever see my girlfriends?

You agree with me.

Give me some skin.

I love that.

So I spoke to Major League

Baseball about you this week.

- Did they answer?

- They did.

OK.

You know, Baseball essentially

said what they want is

in this final step is they'd

like to hear from fellow Hall

of Famers who support you.

So are there 8, 9, 10 guys

that we can just easily call?

Like, Frank said he'd

do it in in a second.

Sure, he would.

I'm sure Perez would do it, too.

I'm sure

So I think that's what we need.

I would legitimately

I'm sure Schmidt would do it.

I can't think of guys

who wouldn't do it.

OK, so so I want to move

Hey, it's been 33 years.

I know, I know.

I think we're there.

It'll be a monster story.

People people want this.

How in the world did you first

meet or come across Pete?

Well, I loved Pete as a kid.

And then years later, I

thought about him often.

I had not even met him.

And I was talking to my

buddy who worked for Fox.

And we were talking

about his baseball shows.

And I said to him, you

know, you need personality

on those shows,

someone who really is

going to drive the audience.

And we thought about

just randomly Pete Rose.

I got one serious

question to ask.

I'd like to ask Alex,

after you pass Babe Ruth

and decide to retire

in a couple of years,

and after you buy Fox, will

you keep Frank and I on?

As far as what's more

conducive to pitching,

but I don't think

this is an issue.

But we saw it with Kershaw.

They were they're going

to go to the bullpen.

What? What?

Talk to me.

- He's just

He's being Pete.

That's just Pete,

just doing his thing.

At first, it was like

unfreezing someone from, like,

a thousand years ago and putting

them in a work environment

that they have never been in.

Pete, you were

trending on Twitter.

And one of the real fun parts

about it was this this photo.

And you got to give the Fox

people credit because not only

did they have the

vision to do it,

the show, for when he was

on it, was wildly successful

and won the Emmy.

Why did it stop?

Why isn't he still a

personality on Fox?

No, it's a great question.

And there's a real

simple answer for it,

in that Pete got into a

fight sort of publicly

with John Dowd from

the Dowd Report.

And Dowd alleged that Pete

had been involved in scandals

with underage women.

Pete denied any of that.

The case began last year

when Pete Rose sued former Major

League Baseball investigator

John Dowd for defaming him with

false statements, including

allegations that Rose

repeatedly committed statutory

r*pe and ran with 12-

to 14-year-old girls.

Dowd, the man hired by Major

League Baseball in 1989

to investigate Pete Rose,

made a startling statement

during a radio

interview two years ago.

You know, there's a lot

of other activities.

Michael Bertolini,

you know, told us

that he not only ran

bets, but he ran young

girls for him down in spring

training, ages 12 to 14.

Isn't that lovely?

So that's statutory r*pe

every time you do that.

Come on, come on, come on.

Come on.

- Are you doing all right?

Hands off, buddy.

Come on. Come on.

To be honest with you,

that's 150% untrue.

My wife was always

in spring training.

I didn't bring young

girls to spring training.

I don't think John

Dowd said that.

I I know he didn't say that.

Well, what he says on the radio.

But, you know, John Dowd is

he's a prosecutor.

He's a prosecutor that,

I made him famous.

Now, in the court filing today,

Dowd provided a sworn

statement from a woman who

claims she met Rose in

1973 when she was 14 or 15

and started a

sexual relationship

that lasted several years.

Pete Rose, also

in court filings,

acknowledges he had a

consensual sexual relationship

with the woman, but not

until she was 16 years old,

the legal age of

consent in Ohio.

She she was within

the range of her age.

So who gives a sh*t?

Well, first of all, I don't

I don't ever remember going

out with a 16-year-old.

18, yes. 18.

But don't forget, I'm not

50 or 60 when I'm going

out with this 18-year-old.

There's probably a

lot of guys in this

room that are 28 to 30 that

date 18- and 19-year-olds.

I would think so.

Dowd's lawyers say that if

Rose did not want to answer

questions about having

sex with teenagers,

his well-documented

history of lying,

or his mental

health, he should not

have filed this lawsuit.

Fox was dealing with a lot

of PR issues from Me Too.

He shouldn't have pursued it.

But Fox had no options

but to take that brewing

scandal off the air.

OK.

So you think

because of my power,

I got an 18-year-old girl?

Is that what you're saying?

I I don't know.

I mean, those are the

kind of people who are

never going to reinstate you.

I know what kind

of player I was.

My fans know what

kind of player I was.

It looks as if you're

not going to play

for Cincinnati next year.

It looks that way.

My contract ended after the

last game of the season.

And I don't think I

should be at the top

of my profession and be

15th or 16th in payroll.

- Is that where you are now?

- That's where I am now.

It just don't make

any sense to me.

It occurs to me maybe

they think Pete Rose

wouldn't leave Cincinnati.

I mean, here's Pete

Rose, a neighborhood kid,

grew up in Cincinnati, right?

I got my car packed.

You're ready to move, huh?

Got my Rolls Royce packed, man.

What kind of team would

you like to play for?

If you could pick maybe

not a specific team,

what kind of a team do you want?

- Where are you from?

- Philadelphia.

Oh, man, that's a good team.

You'd like to play

for the Phillies, huh?

You said that, I didn't.

Honestly, no we could

trade Mike wait,

we'll trade Mike Schmidt

- No.

There was an undercurrent

of understanding

that there were people

in the Reds organization

that did not like him.

They didn't like

Pete's flamboyant style

of living that had nothing

to do with the way he

played the game.

They maintained that he

was a selfish player.

But to say he was a selfish

player was ridiculous.

I mean, it couldn't

have been more so.

So and that was the

way they were positioning

themselves to let him leave.

I don't know that they made

him a decent offer here.

In the winter, Pete

Rose went through

an extraordinary negotiation

with half a dozen teams.

The bidding went crazy.

Atlanta, for example, was

willing to pay a million

dollars a year for four years.

Other teams flashed

beer distributorships

and thoroughbred horses at him.

Pete Rose was such a landmark,

many residents were outraged

the Reds wouldn't do whatever

it took to keep him here.

Well, St. Louis wouldn't

trade Stan Musial.

The Yankees wouldn't

trade Mickey Mantle.

I don't think we should

let Pete Rose go.

Pete Rose broke

my heart as a kid.

Seeing him leave, I just

couldn't imagine how

my idol was going to leave.

I mean, he's from Cincinnati.

He grew up in Cincinnati.

He is Cincinnati.

How can he leave?

The former Cincinnati Reds

star, now a free agent,

signed a four-year,

$3.2 million contract,

making him the highest paid

player in baseball history.

Rose says he likes

Philadelphia because he thinks

that with his

injection of talent,

the team will be a cinch

for the World Series.

Was there any other thing

that could have been

behind wanting him to leave?

There may and I say

may because I don't know,

but I heard it after the fact.

They were concerned about the

people that he hung out with.

And they were concerned

about the possibility

that he may have been involved

in gambling back then.

Is there any way

baseball knew that you

were gambling already?

Yeah, I think they did.

I think they did somewhat.

Because I sit here

and I think, you

got a hometown kid that's really

setting the records on fire.

Why do you get rid of him?

Why do you get rid of

him for the '79 season

after what I did in '78?

OK. Good?

All right.

You know, just when

you're talking,

look at me and not there.

OK.

We'll be back in one second.

Can you get it?

Yeah.

OK.

- OK.

You know, Pete was

everything to me.

Not only my he was like a guy

that I looked up to as my idol.

He's bigger than life.

And he was like a dad.

You know, I listened to him.

Tommy Gioiosa was so

close to Pete Rose

that Rose took him into

his own home to live

and took him to the racetrack

to place Rose's bets.

We went to the track

probably every night.

If we missed a night,

it was unusual.

Tommy Gioiosa told "Vanity

Fair Magazine" in 2001

that Rose bet on his own team

and financed drug deals to pay

off huge gambling debts,

including a deal that landed

Gioiosa in federal prison.

From the day one when

I was with Pete Rose,

I always would go to

the racetracks with him

and bet basketball and football.

And then the addiction

got out of control.

He was losing lots of monies in

basketball and stuff like that.

And he started betting baseball.

You probably knew

it was wrong to do.

- Sure.

- Maybe you thought

Well, I didn't do it

when I was a player.

Yes.

But don't forget, a couple of

years, I was a player manager.

Yes.

And we're talking

like, right now,

we're talking about 1978.

- Right.

- So there was a rumor in '78.

Some people don't like you.

And they start rumors of

anything they want to say,

they say.

And not a darn thing

you could do about it.

Yeah, but despite the

rumors, at some point,

you did switch, right?

You did something happened in

you that you said, I actually

now I'm going to

bet on baseball.

What was the moment

I tell you what.

You must really think

I'm a f*cking genius.

Do you remember

what you did in '78?

Do you remember

what you did in '82?

I don't remember

what I did last week.

And what's your next

stupid question?

Oh, I got a few more.

Is this the kind of doc that

are you going to try to

make me look a certain way?

No.

Just trying to

understand Pete Rose.

Not the legend, just

the human being.

Just the guy who puts

his pants on every day.

But I don't wear

underwear, though.

Oh, that's it for me, man.

The greatest of all time.

The greatest of all

time right there, baby.