The Real Pete Rose Legacy Problem Has Nothing to Do With Gambling

Pete Rose playing for the Phillies at Veterans Stadium in 1983 (Getty Images)

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The Real Pete Rose Legacy Problem Isn’t Gambling

You’ve probably heard by now that Pete Rose has died. Some credit him with being the “spark” that finally got the Phillies their first World Series win. Some go so far as to call him “one of the greatest baseball players of all time.” All of that might be true, though the latter claim is, at the very least, blatantly hyperbolic. He certainly was a prolific hitter. I’ll give him that.

Of course, most if not all of the remembrances in the media over the last day have been asterisked by the fact that Pete Rose bet on games while he was in the league. He also lied about betting on games for years after the accusations arose. Rose eventually admitted to gambling on baseball, even betting on games he was in. (Rose adamantly denied ever betting against his own team; believe what you want.)

But there’s a far more troubling allegation about Pete Rose that many seem to have forgotten. And, no, I’m not talking about the time that Pete Rose went to federal prison for income tax evasion, though that most certainly happened, making him not just a liar but also a cheater.

Let’s go back to August 2017, when the Phillies were holding a Pete Rose Weekend to celebrate the man banned from Major League Baseball for life thanks to that gambling. The Phillies were all set to give out Pete Rose bobblehead dolls. There were Pete Rose commemorative prints. And the Phillies were all set to add the name Pete Rose to the Phillies Wall of Fame that weekend. But then the Phillies canceled the whole damn thing.

Why?

Days before the Phillies canceled Pete Rose Weekend, court documents were released showing that a woman had accused Pete Rose of having sex with her when he was in his mid-30s and she was not yet 16. But that’s not the most alarming part. The most alarming part is that when Pete Rose was asked about it, he said he was pretty sure she was 16, not under 16. (The age of 16 was, conveniently, the “age of consent” in the state where the girl lived.) So, yes, “one of the greatest baseball players of all time” admitted to having sex with a child. Oh, and he was married with two children at the time. But, hey, details.

The allegation came up in a defamation case Pete Rose filed against John Dowd, the former Major League Baseball special counsel in charge of the investigation into Rose’s gambling. The lawsuit centered on remarks Dowd made on a Philly-area radio show in 2015. While on the air, Dowd said that Pete Rose pal Michael Bertolini “told us that not only did he run bets, but he ran young girls for [Pete Rose] down in spring training, ages 12 to 14 … Isn’t that lovely? So that’s statutory rape every time you do that.”

The judge eventually dismissed the case after Dowd and Rose came to some sort of out-of-court agreement. But those damning documents live on. So it’s going to be interesting to see exactly how the Phillies will remember/ honor/ acknowledge Pete Rose at this weekend’s Phillies playoff games at Citizens Bank Park.

I’m sure I’m going to get some hate mail (reader mail link above!) for bringing up Pete Rose’s dirty laundry on the heels of his death. But call me crazy if I think that having sex with a child — and, if Bertolini via Dowd is to be believed, allegedly having sex with children as young as 12 — is just a bit more serious than placing some bets on baseball games.

Is Wawa Really the Best Convenience Store In the Country?

Yes, says this new industry report, when Wawa and other convenience stores are measured by customer satisfaction. Sheetz came in fifth place. And 7-Eleven landed near the bottom.

By the Numbers

36: Ports across the United States affected by the huge dockworkers strike that just began. There are tens of thousands of dockworkers walking the picket line over wages and automation. And, yes, Philly’s port is one of those affected. If the strike doesn’t end quickly, you could see some major supply chain disruptions as well as higher inflation. So, yeah, maybe let’s resolve this soon.

34: Spots that the Lower Merion School District fell in Niche’s latest rankings of the best school districts in America. Last year, LMSD stood at 44. This year? 78. Not a single Philly-area school district cracked the top ten.

0: Minutes you’ll want to wait before making a reservation at Little Walter’s. Not only does Philly Mag’s restaurant critic gush over the pierogi palace in the October issue of Philly Mag. There’s also the fact that the New York Times just singled out Little Walter’s as one of the 50 best restaurants in America right now, the only Philly restaurant to earn the distinction. Which is a little ridiculous. Regardless, make yourself a reservation while you have a decent chance of getting one.

Local Talent

Philly rapper extraordinaire Tierra Whack is well known for her wildly inventive and imaginative music videos. And she hasn’t let us down one bit with this just-released video for her song “MOOVIES.” Not only does the video feature the aforementioned wild inventiveness. Whack also playfully Philly-drops on it, with references to Wawa, the Phillie Phanatic (there’s a wedding!), Love Park, and a nod to the historic Tower Theater marquee. And for more on what makes Tierra Whack tick, check this out.