Fuckin’ A. These were eight year olds. There’s even more in the article. I know the guy’s got a lifetime ban from baseball, but can we ban him from something else? Let’s ban him from all the other major sports just for the Hell of it. Ban him from the local Costco and 7-11. Ban him from the toiletries aisle of the grocery store. And please, let’s ban him from the public eye.
Kinda reminds of that bit on Reno 911 where Junior is giving a tour of the jail for some young kids, and relays some of the most child un-friendly stories ever heard…
It reminded me of the movie Cobb, specifically the scene where Ty Cobb gets up in a nightclub and says, "Yes, that was Sweet Georgia Brown, a song about the great state of Georgia. [applause] Many of you will recognize that as the theme song of the Harlem Globe Trotters. [applause] Now it’s a shame that such a fine song should have come to be associated with a bunch of niggers playing a faggot ball game in their underwear. [stunned silence] Of course, the Globe Trotters are owned by a Jew named Sapperstein, so what do you expect [enraged boos]
You know, if Pete were ever sentenced to Community Service, he could give that exact speech to aspiring varsity players. “In closing, this is the Big League, BITCHES! Eat this!” Then tosses down the mic, grabs his junk and walks off.
Cobb, at least, was honest. He was a nasty, aggressive jerk (of course, the Globetrotters bit was fiction; he may have been a racist, but he wasn’t an idiot) but at least you knew it.
Rose is a liar. Pete Rose didn’t model himself on anything; he just wants what he wants and that’s all that matters, and if he has to lie and cheat and slander decent people and use unwitting people, then that’s what he does.
I hate Bud Selig but I do admire him for his stance on Pete Rose, which can be summed up as “Fuck you, Pete.” Amen.
Good to see ole Pete doing everything he can to get that spot in the Hall of Fame he’s been hankering for.
Or maybe it’s more like: You won’t let me into the Hall? Well, fuck you-- fuck you— and fuck you too little Timmy. And your momma and Joe DiMaggio! Marge Schott? Fuck her in Hell!
That’s the thing. When the gambling scandal first broke, I was kinda willing to support him. It wasn’t the same thing as the Black Sox. He never bet against the Reds or threw a game. It could have blown over and been forgotten about if Pete wasn’t such an absolute dick.
4,256 hits? Should have been a shoo in for the Hall. But his supreme dickishness ruined that legacy. I used to want to support the guy, but over the years I’ve come to agree with RickJay’s take on Bud Selig’s opinion. “Fuck you, Pete”
And on preview, Fir na tine, no, the story wasn’t nestled between articles relating on which of our Senators are aliens and the marriage plans for Batboy. I originally read it as an Associated Press reprint in Jacksonville’s Georgia Times Union. I went with the original Cincinnati paper for the link.
I’m not a sports fan, and Pete Rose has only been on my radar post-gambling scandal, so I’ve always wondered if the gambling thing came as a big shock to the baseball community, or was everyone thinking, “Yeah, it sounds like something that asshole would do.”
No, it couldn’t have. Gambling came very close to destroying the game of baseball. As a result, the rule (really the only rule, isn’t it?) is explicitly clear- if you gamble on baseball or associate closely with those who do, you are banned from the professional game for life. I believe that all living former commissioners have agreed with Bud Selig that the lifetime ban precludes induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And Rose did gamble on baseball, and bet on his own team, although not on every game. And there’s the rub- why didn’t he bet on his own team today? Does he know something we don’t? Not betting FOR his own team becomes a bet AGAINST his own team. And the debate is still raging about pitching changes, etc, that might have affected end results.
I know I’m not explaining it very well- I’m sure someone like Bob Costas has broken it down much better.
I pity Pete Rose a little bit, as well as despise him. You can do just about anything in baseball and still be in the HOF. It is well-stocked with cheaters, drunks, druggies, wifebeaters, racists, thugs and even murderers (allegedly). The only thing you cannot do is bet on the game or associate with those who do. My grandpa knew it, my dad knew it, I know it, and Pete Rose damned well knew it. He thought he was bigger than the game and above the rules, and just a bit better than those other 25 guys- kind of like Barry Bonds.