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Wednesday, June 02, 1999     Page: 1B

The lonely vigil of Pete Rose
   
He has become a celebrity drifter of sorts, traveling from town to town and
venue to venue, basically doing whatever it takes to earn a fast buck and talk
about the sport he loves, but honestly believes has done him wrongYou know him
as Peter Edward Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hit king who, depending
on your view, should or should not be included alongside the all-time greats
of the game.
    A man who did it all and had it all, yet one who each day appears
tragically closer to ending with nothing.
   
“I’ve said I’m sorry on every TV program in the world,” Rose said Tuesday.
“But everyone’s not gonna hear me say it.”
   
That’s likely because some people choose not to.
   
After 10 years of waiting, Pete Rose, 58, has grudgingly accepted the fact
that he may never earn his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. He was banished
from baseball in 1989 for his involvement in gambling.
   
Although then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti suggested otherwise, Rose
continues to insist he never bet on the sport. Judging by the adoring crowd of
200 or so baseball fans who came out to hear Rose speak at the Allentown
Hilton on Tuesday morning, most people want to believe him.
   
I want to believe him.
   
Rose was in the Lehigh Valley to throw out the first pitch at an
Independent League opener Tuesday night. The script called for Pete to make an
entrance via helicopter in center field, right after the national anthem.
   
Hell, at least it’s baseball. Earlier this year, Rose appeared at
WrestleMania event in Philadelphia dressed in a chicken costume.
   
Money’s money, after all.
   
“I’m here for one thing: to try and get a good crowd tonight,” he said.
Note: Team officials boasted the game- the Ambassadors’ home opener- was a
sellout.
   
“I don’t have to sell people on who I was because I was a player,” Rose
said after delivering a delightfully entertaining hourlong talk that violated
just about every rule of political correctness and concluded with a thunderous
standing ovation from the gathering.
   
He touched on all facets of his life, focusing on his brilliant 29-year big
league career. When the topic turned to his banishment from baseball, Rose
attempted to put things in perspective.
   
“Let me give you two scenarios,” he said. “Everything I admitted to, or
everything they proved (regarding gambling) … if my hometown was anywhere in
Nevada as opposed to Cincinnati, Ohio, everything I did was legal.
   
“And two, and I hate to say this but it’s the truth: If I’d been addicted
to drugs as opposed to betting on football, I’d still be managing the Reds and
they’d be paying for my rehab.”
   
That’s not to say Rose is without blame for his current plight. He
apologized over and over for his “addiction” and said he harbors no ill
feelings toward Commissioner Bud Selig, whom Rose has never met.
   
He just doesn’t believe the penalty fits the crime.
   
“I made some mistakes and I paid for my mistakes,” Rose said. “I didn’t
hurt (Selig), I didn’t hurt the game. I hurt my family. I hurt myself.
   
“I can’t have hard feelings with Bud, I made the mistakes. But enough is
enough. Everyone else gets a second chance.”
   
Though he applied for reinstatement two years ago, Rose has yet to receive
a return call or letter from baseball’s supreme office.
   
Like him or hate him, the man deserves better.
   
In the meantime, hypocrisy rules the sport in which Rose once reigned.
   
He pointed out a number of Major League stadiums that advertise hotel
casinos and state lotteries on big, bright signs.
   
“Baseball will take their money,” he said.
   
Also, the uniform, bat and glove from the night in 1985 when Rose broke Ty
Cobb’s all-time record with his 4,192nd hit was displayed in the Baseball Hall
of Fame.
   
“Everything’s there but me,” Rose, who finished his career with 4,256 hits,
said with a laugh.
   
He told the real story behind his “illegal” chat with his son’s minor
league team in Sarasota, Fla., this spring. As part of his penalty, Rose is
not allowed contact with any organization affiliated with Major League
Baseball.
   
“They asked me to talk to them,” Rose said. “I told them I’m here today as
a father and a fan. But the (manager) said, `Will you mind talking to the
players?’ Can you imagine someone asking me to talk to 130 minor league
players and me saying no?
   
“I talked to them for 55 minutes and, believe it or not, I only talked five
minutes about hitting,” Rose explained. “The rest of the time I talked about
the love of the game, the dedication to the game and dedication to the fans. I
was strictly talking to a bunch of youngsters as a guy who spent 29 years in
the big leagues and had a lot of great things happen to him. I told them that
opportunity was in front of them and to take advantage of it.”
   
Rose confessed he’d love to resume his managing job in the major leagues,
whether he’s voted in the Hall or not.
   
“Don’t tell me that I can’t help some team become a better team in the
National or American league,” he said.
   
For now, he remains in baseball exile, waiting for a redemption that might
never come.
   
“I can’t do nothing,” baseball’s all-time hit leader sighed, “if they don’t
answer.”
   
Jerry Kellar is a Times Leader sports writers.