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runscottI have thought Pete Rose was scum since '73 - that was when my 7 yr-old brother (and several other tykes) asked him to sign a ball after a game, and he smiled and told him he would be right back after he put his clothes in the team bus. I still have a photo I took of Rose with his suit bag slung over his shoulder as he headed for the bus. He then took a leisurely seat in the back of the bus, on the side near the kids, and smiled mockingly at them through the window. You never saw so many 7-yr old jaws drop in your life - I was incredulous. That was Rose the sadistic bastard.
But I was fortunate enough to get another dose of Rose again in '85 when the parent club of the Denver Zephyrs played them in Mile-Hi stadium. Player-manager Rose refused to come out and bat despite many calls from the fans. We began booing him around the 6th inning, and the booing did not stop until the Reds left the stadium. Rose refused to even acknowledge his fans.
Pete Rose has been lying all of his life, and it isn't stopping with this book - Rose is a loser who happened to have great athletic ability and a fierce desire to win...at any cost.
Does he deserve to be in the HOF? Yes, the year after Shoeless Joe is inducted.