Pete stood for winning" (Sports Illustrated 1996).
"Charlie Hustle" as was affectionately know for his hard work ethic and never say die attitude was the definition of a baseball player. During his career, Rose accumulated some astronomical numbers, he currently holds nineteen all-time records in Major League Baseball including the record for most career hits with 4,256, along with the record for most games played with an untouchable 3,562. He was voted most valuable player in the league three times, he won four batting titles, and helped the Reds to a championship in 72. Rose retired with a batting average of over .300 and more than 3,000 runs batted in. These awards and accolades alone make him a shoe in for the Hall, but the one thing that stood out the most in his illustrious career was his passion and desire to win. He played the game with a purpose and that purpose, winning. Pete Rose is the only man to play more than 500 games at five different positions. Joe Morgan a teammate of his during the championship year said, "Pete would do anything asked of him to get a win. He played with more heart than anyone I ever saw" (The Rose Controversy 1995). .
Many people don't feel that Rose deserves a place in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, NY, and he has an army of detractors. Hall of Famer, Gaylord Perry in his book The Price of the Game concluded: .
If I ever got to vote in the Cooperstown cabal, I could never raise my hand for Ole' Pete Buddy. I don't care if holds every record in baseball. It just doesn't matter. .
Pete knew the rules better than anyone else in baseball history. He thumbed his nose at the rules and at baseball. This isn't the Joe Jackson myth "the regular small-town kinda guy who just wasn't smart enough to know what was going on. Pete knew the score; He said, screw you baseball. So, I say the same to him. Screw you, Pete Rose. The game is much bigger than you (Price of 1987).
