Pete Rose hustles his way to MLB greatness:

He was a Charlie Hustle on the diamond:

Flash Thoughts:
To whom that gave Pete Rose the nickname of "Charlie Hustle" was spot on.
Rose played the game to full tilt. Hustling down to first base when he drew a walk, going that extra base in his head first slide to the next bag and showing versatility in playing five different positions during his 24 year career in Major League Baseball.
Like many, yours truly had the opportunity to see Rose play in person.
It would be the 22nd birthday for the Flash. Rose was with the Phillies in 1983 and they came to Fulton County Stadium for a game with the Atlanta Braves.
Pete Rose gave Flash a good birthday gift of going three for five as the Phillies would win the NL pennant that year.
That is where we admire him. It was unfortunate of how he got consumed by the habit of gambling and betting on baseball that took away the image he was on the playing field.
Pete Rose is a hall of famer, even though he may never get if officially for an induction into Cooperstown.
The old cliche of "your reap what you soul" transpires Charlie Hustle.
Yours truly is not sure about his addiction to gambling and betting. He put himself in dire straights when it became obvious of this issue while he was managing the Cincinnati Reds in the late 80s after he retired.
That was not the only thing that Rose illustrated in being wrong in society.
Rose was alleged to have an inappropriate relationship with a female who was not at the age of 16.
He challenged the situation for filing a defamation lawsuit against an attorney in 2017.
Someone that was very close to me, told me that Rose tried to make an advance of her when she was working as a makeup artist for a studio company out of Birmingham.
She put him to a stop. That has not set well with me and changed my attitude about him as a person.
Not about his ability to play baseball.
Pete Rose is not the only person that is considered an entertainer that lived his life with risks.
Under my analysis, people like Elvis Presley, Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and others have toed the line.
In reading more about the Rose story Monday while on assignment for Gameday Weekly, I thought of July 21, 1983 for the great times that was for a person growing up in his young adult days. I cried for thinking of this and almost 2 months after my birthday, the pain of losing my mother to colon cancer at the age of 45.
I can remember following Rose on TV in late July of 1978 when he set a National League record of 44 consecutive games with a hit. It got stopped on the 1st day of August by the Braves when they romped over the Reds by the score of 16 to 4.
Rose was unhappy the Braves had closer Gene Garber to come in the late innings and keep him hitless that Tuesday evening. For Garber and the Braves, it was like winning a game in the World Series. The Braves were not that good at the time.
My sense is that this will become drawn out.
MLB does not want to get into it right now, for it would take away of what they have on the field.
The start of the Wild Card playoffs Tuesday and the Braves are one of those who survived a challenging season to be a part of the excitement in October.
Someone will have to be on an ego trip in order to keep Rose from induction into the HoF.
Four commissioners that have run MLB following the ban of Rose in 1989, have stood on firm ground, betting on baseball is against the integrity of the game.
I salute Pete Rose, the baseball player, the all time hits leader in the history of the game. A 3 time World Series champion, 6 times playing for a team that won the NL pennant and playing in the All Star game at 5 different positions.
The Pete Rose that betted on baseball and also allegedly try to charm women, is what I have no interest in and never will.
Thank.

Photo of Pete Rose getting a base hit in a July 31, 1978 game vs. the Atlanta Braves at Fulton County Stadium. That set a NL record for 44 consecutive games with a hit.
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.