"A new autobiography of Pete Rose is scheduled to hit bookstores next week amid widespread expectations that Rose will use the book to admit publicly for the first time that he bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
The book, "My Prison Without Bars," has a huge first printing, 500,000 copies, and is being handled in top-secret fashion by the publisher, Rodale Press, which has embargoed the book until Jan. 8, when Rose will conduct a series of interviews with reporters about the book's contents.
Rose was barred from baseball in August 1989 for illegally betting on sports events, although not specifically on baseball. Ever since then, he has denied that he bet on baseball, despite significant evidence to the contrary. But there have been increasing hints over the last year that Rose, who has the most base hits in major league history, now understood he would have to make such an admission to win reinstatement to baseball and entry to the Hall of Fame, and that he was prepared to do so.
In fact, a major league official said on Tuesday, Rose made such an admission when he meet with commissioner Bud Selig in Milwaukee last Nov. 25. The official, who said he was aware of what was discussed at the meeting, said Rose was asked by Selig if he had bet on baseball and that he replied that he did.
The official said Selig responded to Rose's admission by noting that every clubhouse in baseball had a sign stating that gambling on baseball was prohibited and proceeded to ask Rose why he had so blatantly ignored the warnings.
The official said that Rose "never gave much of an answer." But perhaps he will in the book. The very fact that Rose told Selig 13 months ago he had bet on baseball strongly suggests that Rose will make the same acknowledgment in the book. Otherwise, he would have a lot of explaining to do to Selig, the man who will ultimately decide if Rose can end his exile.
The Jan. 8 release of the book, which Rose wrote with Rick Hill, comes just two days after the results of the annual Hall of Fame vote. Although Rodale said the timing was coincidental, there has been speculation that the book's release was being linked to the vote, so that it could be argued that Rose, with his admission in print, should now get his plaque in Cooperstown.
The embargo imposed by Rodale restricts bookstores from opening up shipments of the book until Jan. 8. Reporters who will be interviewing Rose on that day will receive advance copies on Jan. 7 but can't write about the book until after the interview. All this, and a first printing of 500,000 copies, which David Black, a Manhattan literary agent, called "enormous." In comparison, a recently published sports book by Rodale, the autobiography of basketball great Oscar Robertson, had a first printing of 39,000 copies.
"I don't know what's in Rose's book," said the major league official who talked about Selig's meeting with Rose, "but there's got to be something in the book that's worth all this."
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Whats wrong with this picture ?
OK let me try to understand this.
Rose admitted to Selig last November 2002 that he bet on baseball games.
Rose was told he had to do this for any chance to be admitted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
But instead of just coming out and admitting it publicly. Rose says to himself, uhhhh hey lets write a book and I can make alot of extra cash to gamble with. I aint divulging that kind of information for nothing !
And lets make sure no books are out until Jan 8 so I can really cash in before I tell you anything.
Truly a great ballplayer. But a complete failure as a person with
any character and integrity.
He even rates low on the list of degenerate gamblers.
Its a sorry state of affairs if you ask me.
Good luck Pete Rose. Your mama would be so proud.
KOD
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