The Dark Side of Pete Rose Haunts Hall of Fame Hopes
Separating baseball’s hit king from the degenerate gambler clouds his legacy.

Ray Birmingham, now retired as one of the winningest coaches in college baseball, remembers the day 20 years ago when Pete Rose spoke to a group of minor league prospects about the evils of gambling. Mr. Rose, considered one the best players of any era, served as a real-life casualty after being banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on the sport.
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