CINCINNATI — More satisfying than hit No. 4,192?
In some ways, it is for Pete Rose, who needed more time to get into the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame than it took to set baseball's hits record.
Rose is being inducted into his hometown team's hall and having his No. 14 officially retired over the weekend, 27 years after he was banned from baseball for betting on the Reds. His ban makes him ineligible for baseball's Hall of Fame, but the team is honoring him with the permission of Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Reds already honor him in displays at their hall and at various places in Great American Ball Park. Now, he'll be included fully in the team's gallery of greatest players.
"This will be the ultimate thing to happen to me so far in my baseball career," Rose said on Friday. "I tell people you should put it on your bucket list to go to the Reds' Hall of Fame, and I'm happy to be in there. It seems like everybody I played with is in there, so they might as well put me in there, too."
The Reds have turned the Rose honors into a weekend gala. They reunited members of their 1976 Big Red Machine championship team on the field Friday night before a game against the San Diego Padres, the same team Rose got his record-setting hit against on Sept. 11, 1985. Rose was the last player introduced but didn't speak to the crowd.
He'll be formally added to the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday and have his number retired on Sunday. His son, Pete Jr., is the only one who has worn No. 14 since Rose played.
Last December, Manfred turned down Rose's application for reinstatement to Major League Baseball, saying the hits king still hasn't reconfigured his life as he was told to do in 1989. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench said he lobbied for Rose to be added to the team's Hall of Fame.
Here's the schedule:
Friday: A pregame ceremony will feature members of the Big Red Machine celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1976 World Series Champions. Players scheduled to attend include: Santo Alcala; Bob Bailey; Johnny Bench (Sunday events); Jack Billingham; Dave Concepcion; Pat Darcy; Dan Driessen; Rawly Eastwick; George Foster; Cesar Geronimo; Ken Griffey, Sr.; Don Gullett; Mike Luml; Will McEnaney; Fred Norman; Tony Perez; Manny Sarmiento; Don Werner; Joel Youngblood; and Pat Zachry.
Reds players and coaches will wear 1976 uniforms for the 7:10 p.m. game against the Padres. All fans in attendance will receive a 1976 team photo. Fans can purchase a 1976 World Series replica ring ticket package.
Saturday: The induction ceremony will take place on the field before a 4:10 p.m. game. All fans in attendance receive a Pete Rose poster.
Sunday: Rose’s No. 14 jersey will be retired in a pregame ceremony. All fans in attendance will receive a Pete Rose print.
