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Bouncing between ebullient and defiant, charming and obstinate, Pete Rose responded to questions on Thursday’s Fox All-Star Game press call like a baserunner straying too far from the bag and then hopping back to safety.
It’s long been said baseball’s resident dweller in purgatory is his own worst enemy. That was evidenced when a hectoring Rose took exception to a reporter’s question about the Hit King’s relationship with Ray Fosse, the Indians catcher who Rose bowled over in the 1970 All-Star Game.
“If he were playing today, what he did would be against the rules,” said Rose, who maintains Fosse was blocking home plate without the ball. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with Ray Fosse.”
Rose added that he had taken the catcher out to eat the night before that now infamous game, bringing up the anecdote to apparently show he had no intent to hurt the 1st time All-Star. “I’m the one who got hurt, he didn’t.”
It’s true, Rose did miss three games immediately following that All-Star Game. Fosse missed none but was never the same. He never again put up comparable numbers to his 1970 first-half and played in just three full seasons after that. His fractured shoulder, which was originally misdiagnosed, never properly healed, leading to chronic pain which exists to this day. The fact that Rose has never showed any remorse for the incident continues to rub many the wrong way.
“If you’re going to call the show [we’ll assume he meant press call],” Rose berated the questioner, “get it right.”
Questions related to Rose’s participation in this year’s All-Star festivities in Cincinnati and his upcoming meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred after filing for reinstatement went more smoothly, proving Rose can be thoughtful and pleasant when it’s on his terms.
Rose has been told by Major League Baseball to be on the field at 7:30 Tuesday night where he will be feted as part of the Reds “Franchise Four.”
“What I [will] do on the field has not been told to me yet, but just being on the field standing there with Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan and Barry Larkin will mean the world to me.”
Rose is unsure when he will sit down with Manfred, whom he has never met, but expects it to happen some time after the All-Star break.
“I don’t know if I have a better chance [with Manfred having replaced former commissioner Bud Selig],” Rose said. “Just him reviewing my status, I’m happy with…all I can tell you is I’m not the same guy today as I was 25 or 30 years ago…I made mistakes but I’m not the same guy today.”
Questions about Charlie Hustle’s gambling while he was a player continue to haunt him. Just last month, a report from ESPN’s Outside The Lines uncovered a notebook that indicated Rose had bet on games as a Reds player in 1986.
In 2004, after denying it for years, Rose admitted he bet on ball games as a manager, but denied doing so as a player.
Rose’s colleagues at Fox went out of their way to laud his effort and professionalism since joining the network as a baseball analyst in May.
“We can’t say enough good things about how Pete has been,” said Fox Sports President of Production John Entz. “On the air, he’s unfiltered and says exactly what’s on his mind…behind the scenes he’s never late to a meeting. Fourth of July, last Saturday, Pete was the first person in the meeting room at 7:20 a.m.”
“I was blown away by how up to date he was on the current game,” says Joe Buck, who will broadcast his 17th All-Star Game next week. “He’s raw in the best way possible.”
“I play at Fox just the way I played baseball,” said the Hit King. “Hard. Every day.”
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