Tommy Lasorda blasts Pete Rose for betting on baseball

For those who want a chance to meet some of the greats, Major League Baseball has dozens scheduled to attend the All-Star FanFest, which runs through Tuesday. And, as you might suspect for a guy who played 19 of his 24 years in the game there (along with seven fateful years as a manager), a large number of those fans are in Cincinnati.

Theyve never stopped loving him, even though hes been banned from the sport since 1989 for betting on baseball. The Reds have moved into a new ballpark since then, and Rose’s fingerprints are all over the place. The irony of the game being at Fenway is that when Boston was awarded the event a few years earlier, it was with the understanding that it would be at a theoretical “New” Fenway Park, one Boston’s owners were unable to construct in time for the game (and ultimately never ended up constructing at all). (It is thought by some that the promotion was conceived specifically with the idea of figuring out a way to have Rose be a part of the ceremony in a harmless, easily controlled way.) But Rose has said that he hopes the game will be a springboard to potentially being allowed back into the sport, or, perhaps more urgently for the 74-year-old, into the Hall of Fame, from which he’s now banned.

The All-Star Game also has become more about trying to get as many players onto the field as possible, something that Rose thinks detracts from the competitive nature of the game.

Special exhibits this summer include “Stars of the Queen City”, about Reds All-Stars through the years. When hes shown on the video screen, fans cheer and chant “Pete! “Pete! Pete!”

That is the feeling given by baseball writers and those involved in the game.

Rose says Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Barry Larkin also were chosen to represent Cincinnatis baseball tradition. Selig gave permission for that on-field appearance.

“When you’re in my situation, you’re open to nearly anything”, Rose said.

Oh, he knows. It’ll be loud. And everybody knows what theyll be yelling.

There are also displays on umpire Dale Scott, who last winter came out as gay; and Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand and became a successful big-league pitcher, throwing a no-hitter in 1993. He’s gone on the field at Great American one time, wearing a No. 14 Rose jersey as he stomped on first base on September 11, 2010, the 25th anniversary of his record-setting hit No. 4,192. “I think Pete’s role can be very significant”.

No, but a Hall of Fame selection is all I could ever give Rose because of his past.

“His participation will be well-received by the players, and I know the city will be very excited as well”, Larkin said.

Outside the city, its a different story.

Snoop Dogg uses his astute moral compass to navigate the discussion on whether Pete Rose should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I think were going to get the same thing at the All-Star Game.

Fans back home loved his head-first dives, the way he went chin-to-chin against players from the big-market teams and made small-town Cincinnati a back-to-back World Series champion.

“Charlie Hustle” scored the winning run by bowling over Indians catcher Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game at Riverfront Stadium.

“I remember 1960 my first year in Geneva, the way Pete played”, Perez said, during a recent visit to Cincinnati with the Marlins. “He wasnt the player he was later, but he hustled. Wagering on sports has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and betting online is quite popular.

The betting scandal and lifetime ban tarnished his image around the country, but fans in his hometown have stood behind him, forgiving his transgressions. But, last month, an ESPN “Outside the Lines” report indicated Rose bet on the Reds, just not against them. “Everybody deserves a second chance.”.