CINCINNATI (AP) – Hits king Pete Rose said he’s “open to almost anything” that Commissioner Rob Manfred might have in mind when they discuss his lifetime ban for betting on baseball.
The former Cincinnati Reds player and manager hopes that he can informally meet Manfred – who took over for Bud Selig in January – when the two are in town next week for the All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Rose said they’ll meet again at some point later on to discuss his longstanding application for reinstatement.
Rose, who is now an analyst for Fox Sports, said on a conference call Thursday that he’s elated to have a chance to plead his case with Manfred.
“When you’re in my situation, you’re open to almost anything,” Rose said. “I’m just happy he’s going to review my status, and we’ll go from there.”
Rose was banned in 1989, four years after he set baseball’s hits record. After denying for years that he bet on baseball, he acknowledged doing so in his most recent autobiography in 2004. The 74-year-old Rose isn’t eligible to be elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame.