Former Reds teammate calls Pete Rose reinstatement ‘great news’

CINCINNATI — A former Cincinnati Red praised the move by Major League Baseball (MLB) to reinstate Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday that lifetime bans do not apply posthumously.

This makes him eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, a WHIO employee interviewed Rose the week before he died.

>> PHOTOS: Pete Rose Through the Years

He said the Hall of Fame was for two reasons: fans and family.

Rose passed away at the age of 83 on September 30, 2024.

>> PHOTOS: Thousands of fans pay final respects to Reds legend Pete Rose

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Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” Rose was never afraid to tell people what he thought.

Whether it was as a player or manager, Rose pushed the limits. But it was betting on baseball that got him banned.

Former Cincinnati Reds teammate Darrel Chaney, grandfather of Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist Austin Chaney, played with Rose for seven seasons.

He told News Center 7 Tuesday night about the sign all the players saw hanging in the clubhouse.

“Above the door, it said, ‘No betting on baseball,” he said. “We all knew Pete was gambling, but how bad? I didn’t know.”

Rose was placed on the permanent eligibility list in 1989 by then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on Major League games.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” said Darrel.

But as time passed, he forgave Rose.

When he heard about the league lifting Rose’s ban, Darrel Chaney agreed with the move.

“My first reaction was that this was great news. Sort of too late in my estimation,” said Darrel.

One of Rose’s last interviews was in September 2024 with a WHIO employee. Rose was candid when talking about the band he had faced since 1989.

“What good is it going to do me or my fans to put me in the Hall of Fame a couple of years after I pass away?” Rose asked. “What’s the point?”

Rose was asked if he was bitter.

“I’m the one who ***** up. why am I going to be bitter?” he answered. “When you make a mistake, don’t be bitter toward other people. I wish I had not made the mistake, but I did. It’s history, get over it.”

Former News Center 7 Sports Director Mike Hartsock also spoke following Rose as a kid and then later as a sports reporter.

“All of a sudden, my hero was a villain, and that hurt,” he said. “That made it really tough for me to cover that entire story. That pain has gotten less and less over the years. Pete was an idol to me at a real young age.

Mike felt baseball should have made this move over 20 years ago.

“Bittersweet. It’s unfortunate in a lot of different ways,” he said. “Pete Rose did a lot for baseball. Did he do things wrong? Of course he did. We all know that. Should he have owned up to it right away? Yes. And had he owned up to it right away, he would have been in the Hall of Fame for 25 years.”

During his career, the 17-time All-Star won three World Series championships, was named National League and World Series MVP, and received two Gold Glove Awards.

His No. 14 is retired in Cincinnati and is in the Reds Hall of Fame.

The decision to change the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility, stating the bans will now expire after death, could allow other notorious players to enter the Hall of Fame.

This includes ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, the 1919 Chicago White Sox, known for fixing the World Series that year, and 15 other deceased players.

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