Pete Rose Is Sorry: 'I Finally Get It'

But he's still a pariah in baseball's eyes
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2010 6:54 PM CDT
Pete Rose Apologizes: 'I Finally Get It'
Pete Rose stands on first base as he acknowledges the crowd during ceremonies celebrating the 25th anniversary of his record in Cincinnati.   (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Pete Rose is making nice-nice with his former Cincinnati Reds teammates—and maybe trying to convince baseball that he's contrite enough to be reinstated and enter its Hall of Fame. "I'm kind of a hardheaded guy," he tells AP. "That's probably the reason I got all those damn hits. It took me years to figure out what he was saying was to step forward and 'fess up and take responsibility for what you did," he said, referring to former baseball chief Bart Giamatti. "In the last several years, I finally get it. I understand."

Rose says he has apologized to old teammates, in particular Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench, for his gambling scandal and the fact that he bet on Reds games as a player-manager. "I expressed how sorry I was to those guys, if I caused any embarrassment over the years," Rose said. "I'm perfectly happy inside right now—understand what I'm saying? I think anybody that knows me knows that I'm very sorry. I understand the mistakes I made."
(More Pete Rose stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X