Rose — Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader and most notorious gambler — learned these lessons well. And we must acknowledge the uncomfortable reality that we — the sports media, the fans, the culture — helped make the tragedy of Pete Rose possible. In reality, Rose was horribly addicted in ways he’d never truly acknowledge. Many people knew it — journalists, Major League Baseball officials, the Reds’ management, his friends, even ordinary fans — and in the end they all just watched him fall. The next Pete Rose is out there right now, and we are almost certainly cheering for him, just as we once cheered for Charlie Hustle.
Source: Los Angeles Times October 07, 2024 17:02 UTC