Rose: ‘I’d have been better off to be a drug addict’
Article By Unknown on 8th April, 2010
Sports Radio Interviews
In a wide-ranging conversation, Pete Rose spoke with Dan Barreiro on KFAN in Minneapolis about differences between baseball players today and those from his playing days, and, of course, the scandal that led to Rose's banishment from baseball. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews.
In a recent interview, Pete Rose wondered why he hasn't been forgiven by the Commissioner of Baseball. What does Rose think about players who hang on to their careers too long?
Rose: I think, more or less, guys in my time stuck around a little longer. Let me tell you why. It's because today, if you're a Willie Mays type player – and there's some pretty good players out there – when they get to the end of their career at 37, 38 years old, they're going to have $100 million in the bank. Okay? Willie, when he played - Hank, when he played - we didn't have $100 million in the bank.
So, to stay around for that extra 1 or 2 years, to go to another team and make that extra money, that's probably why most of us did it. So, you know, a lot things would be easier when you're making $16 million a year and you sign a 10-year contract. And that's the type of players we're talking about.
Wouldn't you like to be in Joe Mauer's shoes? And he may go down – and I'm predicting this and I played with Johnny Bench – Joe's going to go down as the best hitting catcher in the history of baseball when it's all over. I mean, he's already won two or three batting titles. Do you know how hard it is to win a batting title? And it's even harder if you're a catcher.
Is Rose ultimately to blame for making the All Star Game mean less, because he bowled over Ray Fosse in 1970?
Rose: I never took an exhibition game as going through the motions when people pay good money to see you play. Now, I played the same in the All St...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
In a recent interview, Pete Rose wondered why he hasn't been forgiven by the Commissioner of Baseball. What does Rose think about players who hang on to their careers too long?
Rose: I think, more or less, guys in my time stuck around a little longer. Let me tell you why. It's because today, if you're a Willie Mays type player – and there's some pretty good players out there – when they get to the end of their career at 37, 38 years old, they're going to have $100 million in the bank. Okay? Willie, when he played - Hank, when he played - we didn't have $100 million in the bank.
So, to stay around for that extra 1 or 2 years, to go to another team and make that extra money, that's probably why most of us did it. So, you know, a lot things would be easier when you're making $16 million a year and you sign a 10-year contract. And that's the type of players we're talking about.
Wouldn't you like to be in Joe Mauer's shoes? And he may go down – and I'm predicting this and I played with Johnny Bench – Joe's going to go down as the best hitting catcher in the history of baseball when it's all over. I mean, he's already won two or three batting titles. Do you know how hard it is to win a batting title? And it's even harder if you're a catcher.
Is Rose ultimately to blame for making the All Star Game mean less, because he bowled over Ray Fosse in 1970?
Rose: I never took an exhibition game as going through the motions when people pay good money to see you play. Now, I played the same in the All St...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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