My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a fair and sensitive biography of a complicated and controversial man. This book was excellently researched and the author was able to get cooperation of many of the players, family and even mistresses of Pete Rose. The book confirms to me that Pete was a vain, greedy, self-serving and not a very smart man, not someone who you would want as a friend or be around with.

The author documents Rose’s playing exploits on the baseball field, which were legendary and his off field foibles which were many. Well I think it was easy to admire Pete Rose the player, it must’ve been very hard to admire Pete Rose the man. It’s as if he never grow up.

All that being said, I think the Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Yes his gambling, particularly on baseball, may be disqualifying. However I have not read or heard of any evidence where he directly or indirectly affected the performance or results of a baseball game. What Pete Rose achieved on the field, he achieved largely on his own merits. I did not read of any evidence that he took steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

This book is an excellent read for any sports fan but especially for this reader as I remember watching Pete Rose’s career, particularly when he played for the 1980 Phillies who won the World Series that year.