Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Will Pete Rose Be Indicted Into Hall of Fame?

Aired March 08, 2003 - 18:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Major League Baseball is in the thick of spring training, but for a lot of baseball fans out there, the big question this year is will he, or won't he make it into the Hall of Fame?
We're talking about Pete Rose, aka, Charlie Hustle. Here's CNN's Josie Karp with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE KARP, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News that Commissioner Bud Selig was considering lifting Pete Rose's lifetime ban from baseball broke last December. Since then, Rose has reportedly been seen in casinos and encountered problems with the IRS. Those curve balls may have slowed the process down. But just as Charlie Hustle's playing style was relentless, so is his drive to return to the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pete's an in your face guy; he's going to be in our face until the day he dies. And he's not going to do this thing in a simple fashion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it were me, I'd say, Pete, you know, sit at home and be an all-American boy, the rest of your life and it would be a lot easier on everybody and this thing could get done.

KARP: An agreement to welcome Rose back to the game after 14 years may be in place by the All-Stars break, in mid-July. Although, the terms of reinstatement have not been finalized, it is believe he'll have to serve a probationary period and finally admit that the bet on baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know exactly whether Pete has done that the way the commissioner wants him to do it. I'm assuming that something awful close has happened.

JOE MORGAN, ROSE'S FORMER TEAMMATE: It is not an easy thing for him to do, but let's just give him the chance to be the commissioner and make the decision. And then, you can throw stones at it, or someone else can, after he makes the decision.

KARP: Rose the manager of the Cincinnati Reds back in 1989 when he signed a lifetime ban for gambling. As part of any agreement it is likely that he will be prohibited from managing again soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Pete Rose being back in the game would be great for whomever he's around, because he has so much knowledge and so much experience that he can just pass that along.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants to make some money, be on salary, be a part of baseball and that's his No. 1 priority. The Hall of Fame will take care of itself.

KARP: If he is reinstated, baseball's all-time hits leader appears to be a lock for the Hall of Fame, even though some members, like Indians pitcher Bob Feller (ph) has opposed Rose's enshrinement in the past.

KARP (on camera): Now, with his return on the horizon, it is hard to find anyone inside baseball's offices or out on Major League fields willing to speak publicly against Rose's comeback.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pete Rose accepted a lifetime's suspension, so in that regard, I'm saying, he must have done something wrong. And unless something changes, you know, I don't see things changing on the baseball end.

KARP (voice over): Before Rose's return is finalized he'll have to again meet with the commissioner. And Selig may also meet with the living members of the Hall of Fame to talk about the action that he plans to take.

For now, though, it seems the only thing that could get in the way of Rose's headfirst slide back into baseball is Pete Rose himself.

Josie Karp, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 8, 2003 - 18:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Major League Baseball is in the thick of spring training, but for a lot of baseball fans out there, the big question this year is will he, or won't he make it into the Hall of Fame?
We're talking about Pete Rose, aka, Charlie Hustle. Here's CNN's Josie Karp with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE KARP, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News that Commissioner Bud Selig was considering lifting Pete Rose's lifetime ban from baseball broke last December. Since then, Rose has reportedly been seen in casinos and encountered problems with the IRS. Those curve balls may have slowed the process down. But just as Charlie Hustle's playing style was relentless, so is his drive to return to the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pete's an in your face guy; he's going to be in our face until the day he dies. And he's not going to do this thing in a simple fashion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it were me, I'd say, Pete, you know, sit at home and be an all-American boy, the rest of your life and it would be a lot easier on everybody and this thing could get done.

KARP: An agreement to welcome Rose back to the game after 14 years may be in place by the All-Stars break, in mid-July. Although, the terms of reinstatement have not been finalized, it is believe he'll have to serve a probationary period and finally admit that the bet on baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know exactly whether Pete has done that the way the commissioner wants him to do it. I'm assuming that something awful close has happened.

JOE MORGAN, ROSE'S FORMER TEAMMATE: It is not an easy thing for him to do, but let's just give him the chance to be the commissioner and make the decision. And then, you can throw stones at it, or someone else can, after he makes the decision.

KARP: Rose the manager of the Cincinnati Reds back in 1989 when he signed a lifetime ban for gambling. As part of any agreement it is likely that he will be prohibited from managing again soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Pete Rose being back in the game would be great for whomever he's around, because he has so much knowledge and so much experience that he can just pass that along.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants to make some money, be on salary, be a part of baseball and that's his No. 1 priority. The Hall of Fame will take care of itself.

KARP: If he is reinstated, baseball's all-time hits leader appears to be a lock for the Hall of Fame, even though some members, like Indians pitcher Bob Feller (ph) has opposed Rose's enshrinement in the past.

KARP (on camera): Now, with his return on the horizon, it is hard to find anyone inside baseball's offices or out on Major League fields willing to speak publicly against Rose's comeback.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pete Rose accepted a lifetime's suspension, so in that regard, I'm saying, he must have done something wrong. And unless something changes, you know, I don't see things changing on the baseball end.

KARP (voice over): Before Rose's return is finalized he'll have to again meet with the commissioner. And Selig may also meet with the living members of the Hall of Fame to talk about the action that he plans to take.

For now, though, it seems the only thing that could get in the way of Rose's headfirst slide back into baseball is Pete Rose himself.

Josie Karp, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com