Part 2: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose

Ep. 5: "Pete Rose v. the World" (PART TWO). Alex examines the fall of baseball's all-time hits leader, Cincinnati's own Pete Rose. This two-part episode follows his rise from obscurity on the Queen City's West Side to 20th Century sports icon and his spectacular fall that leads to his banishment from baseball for gambling. Part Two covers Rose and the Big Red Machine's second championship in 1976 and his chase of Ty Cobb's all-time hits record in 1985 when he returns to Cincinnati as the Player/Manager of the Reds. We're rejoined by New York Times bestselling author Keith O'Brien to discuss his excellent new book Charlie Hustle: the Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball (2024). Keith walks us through Pete's lifelong addiction to gambling and how it leads to his shocking banishment from baseball in 1989 and even to a short prison sentence. We also discuss how the nationwide legalization of sports gambling could negatively impact the integrity of major American sports. Chris Eckes, Director of Operations/Chief Curator of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, rejoins the show to talk about the Big Red Machine, Rose's return to Cincinnati and getting the hits record at Riverfront Stadium. Chris recounts the decision to induct Rose into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016 and takes us through the museum's history. Link below to visit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, located on site at Great American Ball Park. Highly recommend visiting their large museum space next time you're in Downtown Cincinnati. Where to buy Charlie Hustle: https://keithob.com/purchase Visit the Reds HOF & Museum here: https://www.mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame Contact the show at [e-mail] or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts here www.evergreenpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices