The Reds pay tribute to Pete Rose a day after he was posthumously reinstated by MLB

CINCINNATI AP Pete Rose was celebrated by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night a day after baseball s career hits leader was posthumously removed from Major League Baseball s permanent ineligibility list There were chants of Pete Pete at Great American Ball Park There was a pregame moment of silence and a choir from Rose s Cincinnati high school performed the national anthem And No was everywhere from the replica jerseys in the stands to the highlights shown on the videoboard It was the type of all-out effort that Rose himself would have appreciated This city was my dad Rose s daughter Fawn commented Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin and Eric Davis who played for Rose when he managed the Reds shared stories about their former manager during a pregame panel joined by former Rose teammate George Foster Members of Rose s family delivered the event ball before Cincinnati s - loss to the Chicago White Sox He played baseball with as much passion and competitive enjoyment as you ever could declared Reds manager Terry Francona who played with Rose with Montreal and played for him with Cincinnati You wished to be on his association Rose who died in September at age played for the Reds in of his seasons winning two of his three World Series championships with his hometown band His career was tarnished by a gambling embarrassment that led to a permanent ban on Aug An study commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded Rose a -time All-Star who finished with hits repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the crew from - a violation of a long-standing MLB rule Commissioner Rob Manfred broadcasted Tuesday he was changing the league s guidelines on permanent ineligibility saying bans would expire at death Manfred met with Fawn Rose and Jeffrey Lenkov a lawyer who represented Pete Rose on Dec Manfred was gracious kind Fawn Rose declared Really gave me a forum to talk about my dad not the baseball participant but the father the grandfather and really what he means to the fans of Cincinnati Pete Rose Jr who appeared in games with Cincinnati in declared he was angry when he first heard about Manfred s decision because he couldn t call his father But he called the change a step in the right direction Hate to say this but it s not going to bring him back he revealed If they would have announced you re not going to be taken off the list but you re coming back hey bring him back But nothing but positives in the current era While Rose s gambling ban made him a baseball pariah that was never the affair in a city that proudly embraces its status as the home of the oldest major league association He was almost uniformly beloved in his hometown for his relentless playing style and his connection to the Big Red Machine the dominant Reds teams in the mid- s My dad used to tell me all the stories of how hard he played every time stated Reds reliever Brent Suter a Cincinnati native You know never took a play off reliably was running hard feet sliding headfirst you know getting dirty every contest This was a guy who just embodied toughness grit There were long lines at several gates as the crowd of filed into the ballpark A steady stream of fans stopped in front of Rose s statue for pictures before going inside the stadium There was a black tarp with the No over the pitcher s mound as the players took batting practice I remember his hustle The headfirst slides He was a person with not a lot of talent but he worked so hard stated Bob Wunder of Dayton Wunder expressed his frustration with the timing of Manfred s decision It s awful They should have done it when he was alive he announced If I was the Rose family I would say Thanks but no thanks I m upset that it had to wait until he passed away The change in Rose s status makes him eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame long a sore spot for Rose s the bulk ardent supporters but his Cooperstown induction is far from a given Rose s affair would be considered by the Hall s Classic Baseball Era committee which next meets to consider players in December A -person panel selects eight ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall s board and the group is considered by members at the winter meetings with a or higher vote needed I know I oversimplify things But what Pete did as a contestant if he s not in there is no Hall of Fame Francona noted But I get it There are specific things that I m glad I don t have to make those decisions Jerry Casebolt of Florence Kentucky stopped to get his photo taken in front of the Rose statue before the event He announced he was at the All-Star Tournament when Rose bowled over Ray Fosse in a memorable play at the plate and he also attended the event when Rose broke Ty Cobb s hits record The removal of Rose from the ineligible list was meaningful for him It was great to hear the news he stated Just opening up the gates to the Hall of Fame but it s still questionable Hope he gets in Shame he didn t get to see it AP MLB https apnews com hub mlb Source