By Eric Stock
LAS VEGAS – Pete Rose has been out of baseball for decades, but he’s still an avid fan of the game.
The man known as ‘Charlie Hustle’ is offering his observations about today’s game as he prepares for his scheduled July 9 visit to the Corn Crib to serve as guest coach and to sign autographs at a Normal CornBelters game.
Rose said you have to build a winner through the minor leagues, something he said has paid dividends for the National League-leading St. Louis Cardinals.
PODCAST: Listen to WJBC’s interview with Rose here.
“There’s been a lot of teams try to do it,” Rose said. “You can’t buy a World Series. The Yankees have tried it. The Dodgers have tried it. Other teams have tried it. You can buy good players, but that doesn’t mean they will play good.”
Rose, who famously ended Ray Fosse’s career in a home plate collision in 1970, said the 2014 rule banning the collisions isn’t necessary.
“My advice to catchers, if they don’t want contact at home plate, don’t block the plate,” he quipped.
Rose said he believes more players are getting hurt playing baseball now because they work out so much in the off season.
Baseball’s all-time hits leader doesn’t see his record being broken anytime soon.
“I don’t think it’s ever going to be broken in my lifetime, but you never know,” Rose said. “Ty Cobb probably said the same thing. I think most of your longevity records are pretty safe nowadays.”
Rose, now 74, broke Ty Cobb’s career hits record 30 years ago and finished with 4,256 hits. Baseball’s active leader, Alex Rodriguez, recently amassed 3,000 hits at age 39.
Rose said he is looking forward to meeting with CornBelters’ players before the game against the Schaumburg Boomers.
“With young players like that, all you try to bring to your attention is there’s someone watching tonight and it might be the right person watching,” Rose said. “Don’t go out there unless you bust your chops and give the 100 percent effort that is needed.”
Rose’s past resurfaced again last week when ESPN Outside The Lines reported Rose has bet on baseball during his playing days, something he had repeatedly denied.
He has been visiting a number of minor league ballparks this summer and is expected to be in Cincinnati for the Major league All-Star Game next month. He’s also seeking reinstatement to the game and his lawyers have said he hopes to meet with the new baseball commissioner after the All-Star break.
Rose wouldn’t comment on the matter. His attorney had issued a statement to ESPN in response to the story.
“Since we submitted the application earlier this year, we committed to MLB that we would not comment on specific matters relating to reinstatement. I need to maintain that. To be sure, I’m eager to sit down with (MLB commissioner Rob) Manfred to address my entire history – the good and the bad – and my long personal journey since baseball. That meeting likely will come sometime after the All-Star break. Therefore at this point, it’s not appropriate to comment on any specifics.”
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
