Pete Rose passed away this afternoon at the age of 83. This summer we did a 2-part episode on the rise and fall of Charlie Hustle. 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 One covers Rose childhood and unlikely ascension to MLB MVP and World Series Champion for the Cincinnati Reds, his hometown team. We sit down with 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). O’Brien interviewed Rose himself and almost everyone that knew him during those years of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s in his critically-acclaimed sports biography. We discuss Rose’s unlikely baseball career and in Part 1 follow his making the Cincinnati Reds in 1963 and winning Rookie of The Year to his notorious winning moment at home plate during the 1970 MLB All-Star Game. Keith details Rose and Big Red Machine’s rise to the top of baseball and foreshadows problems to come for Charlie Hustle and his issues with sports gambling. Link below to buy Ketih’s book.
Chris Eckes, Director of Operations/Chief Curator of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, joins the show to talk about the history of the Cincinnati Reds. We talk about why the Reds are considered the oldest professional baseball team in the MLB and Rose’s childhood on the West Side of Cincinnati. Eckes takes our audience through the 1970, 1972 and 1975 World Series appearances by Rose and the Big Red Machine. We also discuss the offensive juggernaut that was “the Great Eight” lineup of the Big Red Machine of 1970-1978. 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.
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. . 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, talks 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.
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 ohiovtheworld@gmail.com or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Check out the Evergreen Podcast Network for Ohio v. the World and hundreds of other great podcasts here http://www.evergreenpodcasts.com
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