Pete Rose had an opportunity at reinstatement. New commissioner of baseball Rob Manifred was willing to listen to Rose's formal request. However, new evidence came to light today that appears to end Rose's chances of ever being reinstated to baseball in his lifetime.
According to ESPN's Outside the Lines, Rose's testimony was not truthful:
Yes, he admitted in 2004, after almost 15 years of denials, he had placed bets on baseball, but he insisted it was only as a manager.
But new documents obtained by Outside the Lines indicate Rose bet extensively on baseball — and on the Cincinnati Reds – as he racked up the last hits of a record-smashing career in 1986. The documents go beyond the evidence presented in the 1989 Dowd report that led to Rose's banishment and provide the first written record that Rose bet while he was still on the field.
"This does it. This closes the door," said John Dowd, the former federal prosecutor who led MLB's investigation.
The piece contains picture evidence of some of Rose's betting as a player.
The City of Cincinnati is set to host Major League Baseball's All-Star game and having Rose involved would have been a big boost for Cincinnati. Rose's ban in baseball is for his lifetime, so maybe someday Pete Rose Jr. can accept his father's plaque in Cooperstown and number 14 can finally be retired in Cincinnati.
Read the full Behind the Lines report here.
