Baseball Almanac - Pete Rose Press Release : Admits to Gambling

Pete Rose Official Statement

Baseball Almanac presents an official press release sent out by Pete Rose (himself) in regards to his gambling, his book, and his confession to Commissioner Bud Selig.

"If Pete Rose's slate is wiped clean by Major League Baseball, if the fact that a person used inside information for personal gain can be set aside in a spirit of forgiveness, I say let's take the next step. Exonerate Shoeless Joe Jackson? No. Free Martha Stewart." - Tom Fitzgerald in the San Francisco Chronicle (January 8, 2004)

PLANTATION, Fla., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Pete Rose:

"I have admitted to betting on baseball in my forthcoming autobiography, 'My Prison Without Bars.' I am terribly sorry for my actions and for my bad judgment in ever wagering on baseball, and I deeply regret waiting so many years to come clean. I would like to apologize to the fans for abusing their trust, but I thank them all for their continuing faith in me.

"At this time I would like to personally congratulate the newest Hall of Fame members, Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley. I never intended to diminish the exciting news for these deserving players. The scheduled launch date for this book, established many months ago, was Thursday, January 8, 2004. My publisher worked hard to contain the news of this book until after the Hall of Fame announcements and we were both upset when a media leak on Sunday caused the news to be announced on Monday.

"My personal admission to Commissioner Selig occurred some 14 months ago. I hoped that the public admission, coordinated with my hopeful reinstatement back into baseball, would have taken place shortly thereafter. It was always my intent for the book to follow a public admission coordinated with Baseball.

"Also, I would like to extend my personal condolences to the family of Tug McGraw at this most difficult time. I always enjoyed playing with and competing against Tug.

"Again, I would like to thank everyone for their continued support."

Pete Rose Press Release : January 7, 2004

Late night legend David Letterman quipped, "In his new book, (Pete) Rose admits he bet on baseball games, but that's not the worst of it. He also admits that several times, he taped the game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball."

Thousands of other fans, writers, historians, and people have been asked for their comment regarding the Pete Rose confession. Here are a handful that you might find interesting:

"Pete Rose's claim that he never bet on baseball for the last fourteen years has to be one of the great unbelieved lies of modern times, right up there with 'I am not a crook,' 'There are no American infidels in Baghdad,' and 'Your call is very important to us.'" - King Kaufman (of salon.com)

"Pete (Rose) confesses a lot of things in the book. He admits that his hair is not naturally orange." - David Letterman

"The players should have suspected something from all the phone calls (Rose) made in the dugout. The Reds never had a bullpen coach named 'Yes, Godfather.'" - Comedian Argus Hamilton

How do you feel about Pete Rose? What about Shoeless Joe Jackson? Share your thoughts, opinions, and comments on Baseball Fever with fellow fans of our national pastime.

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