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Cincinnati Reds, MLB, Alex Rodriguez, Wade Boggs and others are “heartbroken” over the death of Pete Rose

Cincinnati Reds, MLB, Alex Rodriguez, Wade Boggs and others are “heartbroken” over the death of Pete Rose
Posted on | Posted on angela

FILE - Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies slides to third base during a baseball game against the New York Mets in Philadelphia on June 3, 1981. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

Pete Rose's aggressive, fearless playing style endeared him to generations of baseball fans and media throughout his 24-year playing career. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

With the death of Pete Rose on Monday, the baseball world lost a legendary but controversial figure.

Rose scored more hits than any other player in baseball history, racking up 4,239 hits in 19 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, in addition to stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos. He is one of only two players (along with Ty Cobb) to reach 4,000 hits during his career.

Nevertheless, Rose received a lifetime ban from sports in 1989 for gambling on games and even betting on his own team's games while he was manager of the Reds. That banned him from working for an MLB team and made him ineligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Shortly after reports of Rose's death circulated on news outlets and social media, the Reds released a message saying the franchise was “heartbroken” over the death of a team icon.

The Phillies praised Rose for “his courage and commitment” and praised Rose for being part of the team's 1980 World Series championship team.

Despite the ban from the sport, Major League Baseball recognized the legacy Rose left in the game.

ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez, whose father Tony was a teammate of Rose's on the legendary Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s, confirmed the news while speaking with Jay Harris on “SportsCenter” after the doubleheader between the New York Mets and with the Atlanta Braves on Monday.

Longtime Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman – whose father Marty was the team's play-by-play voice at the end of Rose's Reds career – paid tribute.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Pete Rose when I was 10 years old in Tampa,” said Brennaman, who managed the Reds while Rose was manager. “He was the same to me as a kid that he was when I was calling his games. And he never turned his back on a friend when my career was on hold. He was just a great guy to be with.”

Marty Brennaman expressed his feelings through Cincinnati sportscaster Jeremy Rauch.

“I can't believe he's gone. My two best baseball friends are gone,” Brennaman told Rauch. “First Joe Morgan and now Pete. I’m having a hard time coming to terms with it at the moment.”

Cincinnati Sports Talk radio host Mo Egger spoke on behalf of the city and its fan base, who viewed Rose as one of their own, no matter how tarnished his status. He was a hero to so many people growing up

“Pete Rose means a lot to a lot of people in this city. You might understand why. You may not understand why. But he does. For better or worse,” Egger posted on social media.

“Whatever the second half of his life came to symbolize – and it has made his legacy extremely complex – Pete, more than anyone else, is identified with a time in Cincinnati that still has great meaning for many people here. And part of it.” Many people’s youth has just passed.

Another sports icon, Magic Johnson, praised Rose for “helping me fall in love with baseball.”

Alex Rodriguez, who worked with Rose on Fox's MLB studio show during the offseason, said he was “completely heartbroken” over his death.

“He always put a smile on my face when we worked together at Fox,” Rodriguez said. “He was (a) true original and 1 of 1. Nobody loved baseball more than Pete and I will miss him terribly.”

Famed slugger Jose Canseco, MLB's first 40-40 player, was among the first former players to express condolences on Rose's death on social media.

Another celebrated hitter, Wade Boggs, who had 3,010 hits during his baseball career, called Rose his “idol and friend.”

Many sports media outlets shared the news while offering condolences, including ESPN's Mike Greenberg, New York Post reporter Jon Heyman, and longtime baseball writers Jose de Jesus Ortiz and Jayson Stark.

“There has never been another player like Pete Rose in my life,” Greenberg wrote while posting a famous photo of Rose sliding headfirst into second base. “This is how I will remember him, when he played the sport harder than anyone else. Few athletes will leave behind more complicated legacies.”

“Today we just want to thank Charlie Hustle,” he added, “for playing the way we always dreamed of playing if we had the chance.”

“Pete Rose was the most fascinating baseball figure I have ever covered,” wrote Stark, an acclaimed writer for ESPN and The Athletic. “Just like we couldn't stop watching him when he played, we haven't been able to stop talking about him since. It saddens me that he never had his Hall of Fame induction day.”

“But so much of it depends on him. He had chances to change his story,” he continued. “He just never took the path to make it happen. So RIP to the Hit King. Thanks for the fun watching you play. I will never forget the memories you left us.”

Louisville head basketball coach Pat Kelsey said Rose was his childhood hero and an inspiration.

“Pete Rose embodied effort and hustle. The ultimate competitor,” Kelsey wrote. “He was my childhood hero. My inspiration to jump on loose balls, walk to first base, and play every game like it was my last. Rest in peace, Charlie Hustle. The Hall of Fame is worthless without you!”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine also issued a statement following Rose's death.

“In 1963, our priest, Father Bertke, took my father and I to the Reds’ opening game. It happened to be Pete Rose’s first game for the Reds,” DeWine wrote. “Fran and our family have had the pleasure of watching Pete play for the Reds hundreds of times over the years. No one has ever worked harder or demanded more than Pete Rose. No one has ever made more use of his natural talent than Pete Rose. That’s it.” It’s a real joy to watch him play baseball.

Several tributes and eulogies to Rose mention his complicated legacy. Maybe that's why there isn't more praise for Rose online. At least not yet.

Major League Baseball's ban could make it difficult – or awkward – for many in the sport to comment on Rose's death. Perhaps that will change in the coming days as news of Rose's death becomes more widely known.

Regardless of whether Rose is officially welcomed into baseball or not, he is undoubtedly a part of baseball history, whose career is a treasured memory for many fans and contemporaries.

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