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As a child I remember pretending...as I bravely walked to the plate...
that I could do almost anything...because I was one of the greatest...
baseball players who ever lived...ask anyone who knows...
because there in fantasy...as I faced the pitcher...I became Pete Rose.
A childhood hero holds a special place...even after the child is grown...
when I first met him...I stuttered and stammered...as I nervously stood
there alone.
He's a hero to millions of baseball fans...and I'm proud to say that I'm
one...
he changed the way the game is played...he changed the way things are done.
He worked harder than anyone ever...with heart and soul and muscle...
he's unsurpassed...before or since...this man they call...Charlie Hustle.
He set the standard...for those who would follow...for those to whom
baseball still meant...
much more than just a paycheck...more than a hundred per cent.
Throughout his career...he played for the team...never for the personal
glory...
that's why that night in September...was the perfect beginning to the story.
At Riverfront...in '85...before fifty thousand fans...
with the legend of Cobb at his fingertips...Rose looked up at the stands...
the Captain always loved the fans...he knew he was part of a show...
and it was his job to show them baseball...the way few have ever known.
To Rose it was still a game...he played with a flair and a style...
merely his presence could fill a stadium...he played with the joy of a
child...
He played because baseball was fun...and no day was ever the same...
he played for the memory of Harry...Pete's father who taught him the game...
but mostly he played for the fans...who loved Pete Rose because...
he made them feel like little kids...so they showed him with their
applause...
that baseball fans love what he gave...even if he wasn't always right...
because he gave much more than he got...from the game that was his life.
A broken rule can never erase...the memory of the man named Rose...
who with all his heart and soul...is an inspiration to all of those...
fans...who just like me...consider him the very best...
to whom his name...means something special...a name that will pass the
test...
of time as all his records...will remain completely his own...
proving he truly was the best...and his legend will stand alone.
Cooperstown represents achievement...and no one can honestly deny...
his amazing records and accomplishments...so please explain to me why...
the greatest hitter who ever lived...is not in the Hall of Fame...
Ty Cobb was hardly a Boy Scout...but like Rose...he could play the game.
Pete lives his life like he ran the bases...defiant...almost overbearing...
he dives headfirst...into everything he does...he's brash...and bold...and
daring.
But that's what made him so great...he's consumed with competitive desire...
totally focused on winning...a baseball player with fire.
He is the ultimate competitor...maybe the best to play the game...
his name is synonymous with Gehrig and Cobb...he belongs in the Hall of
Fame.
To anyone who truly loves the sport...to anyone who really knows...
no one belongs in Cooperstown...
more than the Captain...
Pete Rose.
copyright 2000 skybird publishing company
james bruce joseph sievers |
