Long-time Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose has died, according to ABC News. He was 83. The cause of death has not been released.
Rose’s legacy is a complicated one, to say the least. He is perhaps known as well for his hits record and “Charlie Hustle” persona as for his ban from baseball, which stemmed from reported gambling on the sport, and in connection with which he accepted that ban in 1989. There was also a criminal conviction for tax evasion, as well as an allegation of statutory rape, for which Rose later sued. I don’t particularly want to valorize Rose in death if I wouldn’t have in life, and would prefer to leave the history and the story to speak for itself. Too much praise and you’re white-washing the ugly, and too much ugly and you’re ignoring the performance. The good, the bad – it was all Rose. He has now passed, and I send out thoughts to his family and friends.
As for the baseball career, Pete Rose played in parts of 24 seasons, famously accumulating a record 4256 hits. He was a 17-time All-Star, and went on to manage for parts of 6 seasons.