PETE ROSE A REALITY STAR? NOW I'VE SEEN EVERYTHING

So, there I was, as I am every weekday morning, getting ready for work with the television news blaring in the background as I put on my left shoe to head out the door.  And then I hear Matt Lauer say (HERE), “And Pete Rose is in our studio today to talk about his new reality show…”  What?!!!  Has the world gone mad?  Charlie Hustle enters the world of reality television?

Now, let me come clean.  Next to my Burger King beige, sketched 1978 New York Yankees World Champions’ poster in my room when I was 8, there was the Bucky Dent pinup and my proudly A-in-math-earned Pete Rose poster.  He was one of my favorites.  The summer of his 44 consecutive game hitting streak was incredibly exciting.  I watched anxiously as they cut into every televised Yankee game to see each at bat until Rose would ultimately get his hit.  When his streak ended, I recall Phil Rizzuto saying, “Now Joe DiMaggio can sleep.”  The Yankee Clipper’s streak is still intact at 56 games.

Fast-forward to 2013 and, the banned from baseball ball player is trying his luck at a new roulette table-reality television.  The TLC show “Hits and Mrs.” features Rose and his fiancee.

According to an article in USA Today (HERE), “Rose said "nothing was off-limits" for TLC, which filmed the series in July and August and drew 654,000 viewers for Monday's debut.”  The series depicts a different side of Rose, one that he wants his viewers and fans to see.  According to Matt Lauer’s interview with the hitting legend, Rose says quite candidly that “I want to show a different side of me.  Because I think that most people that meet me think I gonna knock ‘em down because they saw me knockin’ second basemen down and knockin’ catchers down, yelling at pitchers and diving everywhere heads first and I’m really not like that anymore.”

Hate to break it to you Pete, that’s the only Pete Rose I want to know.  I want that guy who would take the next base, hustle down the line kicking up dirt just to be safe at first, cross home plate, and if need be, have a throw down with Bud Harrelson at second.  That’s the Rose I want to see, not this pathetic attempt to show the “Hall” that he’s changed and deserves to be unbanned from baseball.  Let me tell you, if they let Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds into the Hall of Fame, then they need to reconsider Rose.  He was an amazing ball player and he always will be in my heart. Read BYB's piece called ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. TIME FOR PETE ROSE TO GO TO COOPERSTOWN for alittle extra perspective on that.

Where as other unbanned ex-ball players take posts as analysts and coaches, Rose has resorted to reality television.  What has this world come to?  What’s next, a Clemens comedy series?  Do we really want to watch these ridiculous shows?  I don’t know- call me a cynic but, I think reality shows are for the Kardasians...NOT FOR BASEBALL!  We have enough drama to deal with in baseball- and that’s enough reality for me!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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