- No, I actually AM a Rose fan; I was just trying to be factual. I know Rose was always a winner and brought a lot of intangibles to every game he played, but he was only a .256 hitter his last 4 years with an amazingly low slugging pct. of .305. If not for his reputation and the hype surrounding his quest, I don't think any team would have started him, especially not at first base (of course, being his own manager his last couple of years didn't hurt).

My favorite Rose memory was seeing him at a Philly show in the 1980s, where he was signing for $10 (or something like that), but on his breaks he was hawking his auto to people outside the signing room for $2-$3 less. Always Charlie Hustle!

I got 2 autos at the full price, btw.