Pete Rose

Some major league baseball stars achieve dream statistics and legendary status during the course of their career. Pete Rose, otherwise known as Charlie Hustle, is one such player. He also stands out as being one of the sport's most controversial figures. His father, a semi-professional footballer, instilled a love of sport into his son. Rose played football and baseball at High School.

He is most associated with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was born in the town in Ohio and joined the Reds in 1963. He played with them until 1978, returned for the 1984-1986 seasons and managed the team during 1984-1989. He played for two other teams; the Philadelphia Phillies and briefly for the Montreal Expos. Rose, a switch hitter, took the record major league hitter title with 4,256 hits. He has won countless awards and honors, including three batting titles, seven hitting titles and two Golden Gloves.

His legacy was assured in the record books, but his life took a downward turn in 1989 when he was accused of gambling on games whilst being on contract with the Reds. He denied the charges but agreed to a lifetime ban from any job in baseball. This excluded him from being inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Later, Pete Rose made an admission in his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars. He wrote that he did bet on the Reds but denied that he ever bet against them. Controversy returned a year later when Rose was convicted of tax evasion and did some prison time.

The respected movie director Peter Bogdanovich made a film for television called Hustler in which the events surrounding the fall of grace of Pete Rose are examined. It starred Tom Sizemore and didn't pull any punches with the story. It portrays Rose as a gambling addict, who bet on games when managing the Cincinnati Reds. The movie shows the investigation that led up to the ban from the game.

There is no doubt about the immense ability of Pete Rose, and no one can take his achievements away. He would be in the Hall of Fame without doubt, if not for the unfortunate events. Although some fans turned away from him as his reputation was tarnished, others have remained loyal. He has been married twice with two children from each marriage. His daughter Kara, from his second marriage, is an actress and has appeared under her stage name of Chea Courtney in Melrose Place.

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