The best quotes from Pete Rose's bizarre news conference
One day after his application for reinstatement was denied, Pete Rose, the embattled all-time hits leader, addressed the media and Rob Manfred on Tuesday, saying he's disappointed by the commissioner's decision but will continue to be the "best baseball fan in the world."
Flanked by his attorneys and seated in front of a statue inscribed with the words "Throne of 'Hit King' #4256," Rose was emotional, entertaining, and at times bizarre during a rambling 30-minute news conference in Las Vegas.
Whether his attorney, Mark Rosenbaum, said it or the 74-year-old Rose himself, there were plenty of quotable takeaways from Tuesday's entertaining presser.
Rose on his passion for baseball and lifetime ban from the sport:
"I'm disappointed, obviously disappointed. But I will continue to be the best baseball fan in the world. I'm a baseball player. I'm a baseball person, and that's never gonna change."
"To be honest with you, I should be the commissioner of baseball."
"I'm the one that screwed up, I'm the one that made the mistake."
"(Manfred was in) a tough spot to make a judgment on my situation."
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Rose on gambling:
"I'm not a stockbroker guy, but it's similar. Gambling is just for pure enjoyment but I now have it under control."
Rose, who told Manfred he still gambles on baseball during his reinstatement meeting, described his habit as betting "recreationally" and "legally."
"I think I can teach lots of people not to make same mistakes I made, to learn from my situation. People headed down the wrong path can learn from my situation."
Rose on his legacy:
The three-time batting champion said his 26-year post-playing life has been "worse" than his 26-year MLB career, but he's "a good guy, to be honest with you."
Apart from the gambling scandal, Rose's lawyers noted his ability to steer clear of controversy in the years subsequent to his ban. Said Rose: "If the Big Red Machine ever took steroids, we would have never lost a game."
Asked about the possibility of the Hall of Fame committee electing him, Rose said: "My son is here. If I kick the bucket he can make my speech in Cooperstown. He's an educated kid."
Rosenbaum on Rose's HOF chances:
"What does baseball gain by keeping Pete Rose from at least being eligible for entrance into the Hall of Fame?"
"It is, after all, the 'Hall of Fame,' not the 'Hall of Saints.'"