Legendary baseball player Pete Rose passed away on Monday at the age of 83. The man, who many called “Charlie Hustle” because he always ran as hard as he could around the bases, even when he was walked, held a ton of professional baseball records, which should have made him a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, but due to betting on baseball decades ago, he was banned from the sport he loved and kept out of the HoF where he truly belonged.
What a lot of people may not know about Rose is that he was a big, big fan of former President Donald Trump and supported his presidential campaigns.
Pete Rose loved Donald Trump. You can't help but laugh after watching this interview with Pete Rose talking about Trump. #RestInPeacePeteRose #CharlieHustle pic.twitter.com/2yfFGB2cFf
— A🪓E (@RealDealAxelrod) October 1, 2024
Rose stated during the interview that Trump was a lot like him, meaning he was a man who didn’t have much of a filter and shared his thoughts and feelings about anything and everything without worrying about offending people. And that’s true.
Speaking of Trump, he issued a response to the news of Rose’s death by demanding that he be allowed into the Hall of Fame before his funeral.
via The Hill:
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the “GREAT” Rose was one of the “most magnificent baseball players to ever play the game” and that he paid the price for his betting on games in violation of league policies, the infraction that caused him to be permanently banned from the game.
“Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago. Do it now, before his funeral!” Trump said. Rose was one of the most prolific professional baseball players ever, holding MLB records for games played, plate appearances and hits. His 4,256 hits are just slightly more than legendary Hall of Famer Ty Cobb’s 4,191.
Known as “Charlie Hustle” for the effort he put in on the basepaths, Rose was named an MLB All-Star 17 times and was a member of the dominant Cincinnati Reds lineups in the mid-1970s that won two World Series titles, having played for the team for nearly 20 years. He also played for five seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, winning a World Series with the team in 1980, and spent part of one season with the Montreal Expos.
Trump has previously advocated for Rose to be inducted into Cooperstown, calling for it on multiple occasions before and after being elected president. Rose had requested to be reinstated a few times throughout his life, but the MLB commissioner denied the requests each time.
Trump is right. Rose deserves to be allowed into the Hall of Fame. He served his time. His punishment lasted a lifetime. Now that is done. Put him in there along with the other giants of the sport. It’s not too late for Major League Baseball to do the right thing.