For 24 years, he has been dead to Major League Baseball. Gambling on the game built Pete Rose’s prison and there’s no parole in sight. He has grudgingly accepted the fact that he’ll never manage or work in the big leagues again. Removing his name from baseball cards, however, is something he doesn’t understand.
Rose can’t appear on MLB licensed products because of his lifetime ban and last week, an uproar ensued when the mainstream media got ahold of a blog post questioning why Topps’ cards don’t even mention that he holds the all-time hit record of 4,256.
MLB and Topps seem to have a pact on that and on Tuesday, Rose released a statement to USA Today questioning why his ban has to include a complete disappearance from something as benign as a trading card.
“I am not asking for anyone to feel sorry for me. I am asking only that Topps/MLB not compound my punishment by deleting the truth of what I achieved,” Rose stated. “Please believe me, I have suffered very much for what I did, but I need to respond when what I did fair and square in baseball is taken away from me too. That is neither fair nor honest.”
Read more of Jon Saraceno’s story in USA Today.
Related Stories:
Pete Rose’s Rookie of the Year Award at Auction
Notebook: 1979 Topps Pete Rose Sells for…What? MLB Cancer Auction, Autograph ‘Consistency’, Astrodome Seats
Reds Museum Hopes to Trade 4,256 Rose Signed Balls for Statue
Auction Roundup: Buckner’s Glove; Rose ROY Trophy, Secretariat Shoe Find Homes
Jackie Robinson Cap with Beanball Protection Soars to $590,994
Autograph Lineup Taking Shape for NSCC
Jackie Robinson Cap, Rose’s Record Bat Headline Lelands Auction
Post-War Rookie Card Investments On a Budget
