Yea - there was a good article that came out right after he passed.
Basically talking about Pete as he was down in Amish country here - doing an autograph signing/meet and greet for a promoter down there (this promoter does a lot of big names actually).
Anyway - Pete was staying at the hotel and next door was a baseball field. He walked out one morning to see a group of Amish boys playing baseball and walked down to talk baseball with them and give some tips.
THAT was Pete Rose - not the gambling addict/autograph machine that so many think of when you mention his name. The man simply lived for baseball more than anything and being away from the game was the worst punishment they could have imposed on him.
It’s all he ever knew - playing baseball, coaching baseball, talking baseball. Imagine having a job that takes up 90% of your time from your youth u til your death- that was baseball to Pete. It’s why he did so many autograph shows - it was more about being around people who wanted to talk baseball than it was about money. Pete could have went the Mickey Mantle/DiMaggio/Ted Williams route - sign exclusive contracts with a single promoter/card company - only sign at a dozen or so events a year and charge $300+ per item and then do a run of signatures to be included in special insert chase cards. He didn’t though - he needed an out to get out and still be connected to the game somehow.
