Pete Rose Officially Grasping At Straws

“One thing I never did was cheat the fans.” – Pete Rose in an interview with the USA Today.

What a way to start an article, a Pete Rose quote that will likely anger some, shock others and make most of us just shake our heads at how delusional the hit king was become. I have been one of the biggest supporters of Rose when everyone thought that the betting on baseball that ended up getting him permanently banned from the game of Major League Baseball happened solely as his time as a manager. When new news broke that there was evidence Rose bet on games as a player I completely washed my hands of him, I had to. Now Rose is still hoping to meet Commissioner Rob Manfred and still has hopes of getting reinstated, even if he’s simply grasping at straws.

Rose said in that same interview that he was “open to almost anything” to get his lifetime ban thrown out and open to almost anything to get back into the game and potentially into the Hall of Fame. Rose is hoping that he can meet with Manfred face-to-face when the game turns its eyes and attention to Cincinnati next week when the Reds host the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. Rose, who has been working as an analyst for Fox Sports and Fox Sports One, has long had his application for reinstatement in and was basically ignored by Commissioner Bud Selig but now has high hopes now that Manfred has taken over.

Rose was banned in 1989, a mere four years after he set the Major League Baseball record for hits in a career, after denying that he bet on baseball. It wasn’t until his autobiography came out in 2004 that he finally admitted to betting on baseball but only as a manager. New evidence revealed to us by ESPN’s Outside the Lines proved that Rose bet as a manager and as a player which seemingly put the nail in his coffin for reinstatement but Rose is still grasping at straws and hopes for the sit down meeting with Manfred.

Whether Rose is really grasping at straws or whether Manfred is ready to forgive and forget remains to be seen but things should get very interesting next week in the Great American Ball Park. Stay tuned.