The polarizing baseball legend notices something interesting as Pete Rose looks around the sports landscape. There’s a push for sports betting nationwide, inside stadiums and mobile apps, and during almost every commercial break. And when it comes to betting, Rose is all too familiar. The three-time World Series champion and 17-time All-Star nominee was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on games.
But Rose understands why baseball and other sports are now sidling up next to the betting industry, even if there seems to be a double standard involved. While Rose remains banned from Cooperstown despite leading MLB in all-time hits with 4,256, teams are cashing in on an expanded practice.
“Why is baseball doing what they’re doing?” Rose asked Wednesday, on his 80th birthday. “Because of the dollars. There’s money in it. They’re not stupid. Football does it. Basketball does it. Hockey’s starting to do it, and baseball’s beginning to do it. Baseball was stubborn for so many years, worrying about gambling, but gambling is a big part of our country.
“It’s like your mother or your grandma going to play bingo every Sunday,” Rose continued. “Because it’s fun and you can win,” Rose announced Wednesday that he will become an ambassador for UpickTrade.com, a long-term strategy and money management sports recommendation service, on a teleconference. Rose will provide exclusive daily baseball picks for subscribers throughout the 2021 season.
But that’s where Rose made a point to clarify the situation. Rose himself wasn’t betting. He was offering his expert analysis in picks, and if bettors want to follow his advice, they can. “I’m not breaking any rules or anything like that; I’m not trying to slap baseball in the face by picking baseball games,” Rose said.
“There’s a lot of people picking baseball games. I live in Las Vegas. Everybody’s picking something there.” Rose, who played most of his 24-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, said he’d base his picks on multiple factors. When he analyzes a game, he considers which players and teams perform exceptionally well, believes which teams play better on the road or
at home, and pitches matchups. Rose figures the pitching matchups are the most critical influence on a game when it comes down to it. Almost every team has capable hitters. But the clubs with dominant starters or a shutdown bullpen can sway the game in their favor.
I’m going to miss sometimes; everybody does,” Rose said. “It’s not because of lack of knowledge.
In 2015, commissioner Rob Manfred received a request from Rose to reinstate his eligibility in baseball, allowing Rose to be voted into Cooperstown. Manfred, in his second month as commissioner, denied the request.
In MLB’s ruling, Manfred wrote that his “only concern has to be the protection of the integrity of the play on the field through appropriate enforcement of the Major League Rules.”
