Pete Rose was another example of your heroes letting you down
People are complicated. Just because you excel at one thing in your life, doesn’t stop you from making a mess at the rest of it.
In 2017 I went to Las Vegas to see Joe Walsh in concert. It was a quick trip. There on Sunday, back home on Monday night. I was staying at the Luxor Hotel and Casino. During my first walk around the facility, I noticed a long line to enter a shop. When I got closer, I noticed former baseball star Pete Rose signing autographs and taking photos. I wasn’t surprised; I knew he regularly did this. I was only surprised it was where I was staying. I moved on with the rest of my day.
On Monday, I had a few hours to kill before going to the airport for my flight home. I decided to check out some other casinos. I forget which hotel it was, but I found a sports memorabilia store. When I looked in, there again was Pete Rose sitting at a table. There wasn’t much action because being a Monday, the weekend crowd had gone home.
The proprietor was standing outside the shop. I started to chat with him while Pete stayed inside. I asked how much it was to take a photo with Pete. He replied that it was $150. Sheesh! Then I asked how much to just chat with him for a few minutes. When he said $75, I dropped a few f-bombs and walked away. But, when the owner had gone inside, I took the above photo of Rose through the store window.
It was then that I realized that doing this and being in casinos, where there are all types of gambling, including betting on baseball, was more important to Pete Rose than being reinstated to baseball and being inducted to the sport’s Hall of Fame.
If that’s the way he wanted it, fine. There’s nothing wrong with signing your name for money. Plenty of athletes regularly do this. It’s a legitimate way to make a living. But, I also realized that day, that Rose was going to continue to disappoint his legions of fans—probably for the rest of his life. And with his death yesterday, I was correct.
If it was only gambling on baseball, that would be one thing—a bad one thing—but we can get past that. The world is much more knowledgeable and understanding of gambling addiction than it was when Rose was banned from the sport. But, Rose did other much more despicable things.
He set up a booth to sign autographs in Cooperstown, during Hall of Fame weekend. Man, did that piss off baseball’s establishment. And much worse was the way he treated women. There were many affairs and an accusation of one with an underaged girl—statutory rape.
Pete Rose died yesterday at age 83. There will be plenty of tributes and stories of his life—including both baseball and his personal life. They all need to be heard. Like so many in public life, Pete Rose was complicated. He’s another example of why you shouldn’t get too close to your heroes.