A host of baseball luminaries commented about the life and legacy of Pete Rose after the Hit King died on Monday at age 83.
Among the posts on social media:
Alex Rodriguez: “Absolutely heartbroken to hear the devastating news about Pete Rose’s passing. He always brought a smile to my face when we worked together at Fox. He was true original and 1 of 1. Nobody loved baseball more than Pete and I’ll miss him terribly.”
Jose Canseco: “RIP Pete Rose … Another player (who) should be in the HOF”
Wade Boggs: “Words can’t describe how I feel right now my Idol and friend growing up wanting to be Pete Rose you’ll be dearly missed my friend RIP my Brother.”
Steve Garvey: “Pete Rose gave God a wonderful gift, and that’s every ounce of his life every day.”
Longtime Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman: “I had the pleasure of meeting Pete Rose when I was ten years old in Tampa. He was the same to me as a kid as he was when I announced his games. And never turned his back on a friend when my career was in tatters. He was just an awesome guy to be around.”
Hall of Fame writer/announcer Tim Kurkjian: “Pete Rose died today at age 83. He was a great player. No one played the game harder. He made many mistakes in his life, but he always loved being Pete Rose.”
Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent spoke with The Athletic on Monday. Vincent was the deputy commissioner when then-commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose for life for gambling in 1989.
“I think he was devoted to baseball in the sense of the game, and his effort was certainly intense,” Vincent told The Athletic regarding Rose. “He had a series of problems relating to his standards for conduct. He made some mistakes as he came along, and by the time I got to know him and Bart and I dealt with him in the betting issue, it was really too late.
“I mean, he had formed his attitude and his character and I’m afraid that he really thought that money was so important and he was betting a lot and he lost a lot, and I think the corruption problem in his life was a serious one.”
–Field Level Media
