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Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Bart Giamotti, on August 24, 1989. There is no doubt that Rose bet on games that he was involved with, and that was obviously against the rules, and of course it was bad for baseball. But unlike Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, Rose wasn’t a cheater.
While there is no proof that that he didn’t bet against himself, there is absolutely no evidence that he did. And if you consider how sloppy Rose was about concealing his gambling habits, it’s likely that if he had bet against himself, we’d know it.
The evidence was so staggering that it was difficult to fathom. Records of phone call after phone call made to bookies, sometimes just minutes before the national anthem. Records of bets, one after another, day after day, on virtually every team, including the team he managed, along with the amount of the bet – wagering almost $20,000 per day.
The baseball world — and the world in general — was staggered by the amount of evidence, leaving little doubt that Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader and one of history’s greatest and celebrated players, had gambled on baseball and bet on his own team.
Read more: ESPN
Rose wasn’t a cheater. He was just a pathetic gambling addict.
I tried everything I could every night to win. I told the guy [I bet with] before the season I want my team every night and we’ll settle up at the end of the year. That was my first year without playing. Managing wasn’t enough. I needed more. The more was betting on my team every night.
Read more: Sports Illustrated
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