Fay Vincent, who served as Major League Baseball’s deputy commissioner and played a vital role during negotiations for hit king Pete Rose‘s lifetime ban, reaffirmed his stance on Rose’s legacy following news of his death on Monday (September 30).
“I think he was devoted to baseball in the sense of the game, and his effort was certainly intense. He had a series of problems relating to his standards for conduct,” Vincent said in an exclusive interview with the Athletic. “He made some mistakes as he came along, and by the time I got to know him and Bart and I dealt with him in the betting issue, it was really too late. I mean, he had formed his attitude and his character and I’m afraid that he really thought that money was so important and he was betting a lot and he lost a lot and I think the corruption problem in his life was a serious one.”
Vincent, who later served as MLB commissioner from 1989 to 1992, was first notified of his death when contacted by the Athletic. The medical examiner in Clark County, Nevada, confirmed Rose’s death to ABC News shortly after TMZ Sports‘ initial report citing his agent, Ryan Fiterman, on Monday.
Rose holds the MLB record for hits (4,256), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and games played (3,562) during a 24-year career with the Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, 1984-86); Philadelphia Phillies (1979-83); and the then-Montreal Expos (1984). The Cincinnati native accepted a permanent ban prohibiting his Hall of Fame candidacy for gambling allegations while serving as the Reds’ manager in 1989, publicly denying the allegations for years before finally admitting in 2004 that he’d bet on baseball and on the Reds.
“I bet on my team every night. I didn’t bet on my team four nights a week,” Rose said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show in 2007 via the Washington Post.
“I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team,” he added. “I did everything in my power every night to win that game.”
Rose was a three-time World Series champion, the 1975 World Series MVP, the 1973 National League MVP, the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, a 17-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, a 1981 Silver Slugger Award winner, the 1976 Roberto Clemente Award winner and a three-time NL batting champion.
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