Reds legend Rose still full of passion in night at Midland

NEWARK - Pete Rose said he played the game with fury and passion and never took a day off because he wanted to give the fans a reason to come back the next day.

On Saturday night in front of about 1,000 people at Newark’s Midland Theatre, Rose gave the fans, many who wore his No. 14 jersey, what they came for during his show, “4192: An Evening with Pete Rose Live.”

“The goal is to laugh and have fun,” Rose said during a meet and greet with fans that were lined out the door to get his autograph and photo taken with him. “I’ve never been to Newark, but I’m from Ohio and played for the Cincinnati Reds, but for me, it doesn’t matter where I’m at because every night you get in front of people and you talk about baseball, it is a special, regardless of where it is.

“I just love talking about baseball and talking positive about the game,” he added.

Known as “Charlie Hustle” because of the way he played, whether it be him sprinting to first base when he drew a base on balls or his head first slide, Rose still has a lot to give even though he is 77.

For many in the audience Saturday night, it was a chance for them to be up close and personal with the Major League all-time hits leader.

Even though Rose was banned from baseball for betting on the game while he was the Reds’ manager, many fans still regard him as one of the best to ever play and feel he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

“I just wanted to see my childhood hero and be up and close and personal and say thank you to Pete Rose for years of great play,” said Ken Shenefield of Worthington, who was 8 years old when the Reds won the World Series in 1975. “It was incredible to be able to talk with him. Pete Rose is a Hall of Famer in my heart and in my head, and he will always be a Hall of Famer in my book.”

Saturday’s show started with a video countdown of the top 14 moments in Rose’ s career. No. 1, of course, was Sept. 11, 1985 when Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record with his 4,192nd hit.

When Rose took the stage, he began telling stories of his playing days, reflecting on former teammates and games, as well as talking about his father and how much of an influence he had on his life, saying he was the only person he ever idolized.

Rose’s career speaks for itself. He finished with 4,256 hits, most games played (3,562), most at-bats (14,053), most singles (3,315), most seasons with 200 or more hits (10) and most total times on base (5,929). The list could go on and on, but those are few of the many records he holds.

Rose proved to be a great storyteller, and he had the crowd laughing and on the edge of their seats throughout the night.

Reds fans’ fondest memories are of when Rose played on the Big Red Machine and their Word Series titles. Rose was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2016, and he has a bronze statue of him sliding head first outside of Great American Ballpark.

He told stories of when he first came up to the big leagues, talked fondly about his former manager Sparky Anderson and teammates, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Davey Concepcion.

He also didn’t shy away from talking about his gambling, mostly joking about it.

His goal was to make sure the audience laughed and had a good time, and he certainly delivered. He received several ovations throughout the program, but none bigger than at end of the night when the show was close with a video of him breaking the all-time hit record.

twilson@lancastereaglegazette.com

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