When Jerky People Have Mad Skills
We don't have to like them, but we shouldn't ignore their talents.
Pete Rose, aka Charlie Hustle, holds a lot of records in Major League Baseball.
All-time leader in hits (4,256)
Most at-bats (14,053)
Most singles (3,215)
Won three World Series, one MVP award and two Gold Gloves
Made 17 All-Star appearances at five positions
He also bet on the game, and likely against his own team, while he was a player and manager for the Cincinnati Reds. In 1991, he was banned from ever getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Oh, and in 2017, he faced allegations of having a sexual relationship with an underaged woman in the 1970s, further muddying his reputation.
The other day, Rose was invited to be part of the celebration honoring the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship team. (Rose played for the Phillies from 1979 to 1983.) It was a bold move, considering Rose has in the past been a pretty vocal and brash guy; nevertheless, there was the hope that at 81, he might humbly tip his cap and fade into the background.
Don’t bet on it.
When a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter asked Rose if his being at the celebration sent a negative message to women, he said, “It was 55 years ago, babe.” Perhaps in an attempt to make amends (but probably not), Rose later asked the same reporter if she would forgive him “if I sign 1,000 baseballs for you.”
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And then it gets worse, if that’s even possible. Rose was invited to the broadcast booth during the Phillies’ game against the Nationals. (What was everyone thinking?) Rose used a lot of salty language that won’t be repeated here, but you can read it (and blush) for yourself.
You could easily call Rose a womanizer, an insensitive boob, even a jerk. He is still one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame? Debatable. Should he have his accolades taken from him and be shunned by society? No.
In our quick-to-cancel world, it would be easy to ban Rose not only from Cooperstown but also from everyday life. Erase his name from memory and thus his accomplishments as well as his abhorrent behavior. He was a great baseball player? Who cares? In his own words, that was 55 years ago, babe.
There’s only one problem: Canceling someone doesn’t teach us any lessons. It might make us feel better about ourselves, like we’ve defeated the bad guy and made ourselves look so much shinier and more virtuous. But what do we learn from that? How do we take in the good and the bad, weigh them against each other, and decide what we’re willing to forgive and what we’re determined to hold against someone?
How do we tell our kids, you can play baseball like Pete Rose, but you can’t be like Pete Rose, if we get rid of Pete Rose entirely?
Now, the ability to hit or field a ball really well does not give someone carte blanche to act however he wants. It goes without saying that taking up with underaged women is very, very wrong. Doesn’t matter if it was 55 years ago or five days ago.
But bad behavior doesn’t erase lifetime achievements. In his heyday, Charlie Hustle was amazing to watch. His brand of baseball continues to inspire, even if his off-the-field behavior does not.
We also have to acknowledge that views change as time goes on. Many people believe that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, and that his exclusion is somewhat of a double standard. That became more apparent recently when the MLB gave the okay for Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies to serve as a brand ambassador for a bookmaker. According to ESPN, “Blackmon, per MLB policy, is not allowed to promote betting on baseball specifically but can endorse the sportsbook in general.” Well, okay then.
Of course, Rose does himself no favors with his antics. If you’re waiting for an apology from him about his betting or an explanation about the accusations of being with an underaged woman, forget it. Maybe it’s because he knows he was that good and believes that his reputation as a player should stand on its own. Maybe he really doesn’t care what the rest of us think about him beyond the diamond.
In the end, those who can appreciate the athlete but refuse to put up with the private person should stay away from articles about Rose’s off-the-field life and instead savor reels like this: