Pete Rose : biography

Reinstatement efforts

In September 1999, Rose applied for reinstatement. Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, never acted on that application. He had previously applied for reinstatement in 1992, but then-commissioner Fay Vincent also never acted on it.

In public comments, Selig said he saw no reason to reconsider Rose’s punishment; however, in March 2003, Selig acknowledged that he was considering Rose’s application, leading to speculation that Rose’s return might be imminent. Ultimately, however, Selig took no action. Even supporters of Rose’s reinstatement concede that it is not likely that reinstatement will occur under Selig’s tenure as commissioner.

On July 27, 2009, the New York Daily News reported that Commissioner Selig has seriously considered lifting Rose’s lifetime suspension from baseball. The next day, Selig shot down these rumors and Rose will in fact remain suspended, indefinitely.

Personal life

Pete Rose married Karolyn Englehardt on January 25, 1964, and the couple had two children, daughter Fawn (born on December 29, 1964) and son Pete Rose Jr. (born on November 16, 1969). The couple divorced in 1980.

Rose married his second wife, Carol J. Woliung, in 1984. They have two children, son Tyler (born on October 1, 1984) and daughter Cara (born on August 22, 1989). Rose filed for divorce from Carol in March 2011. The 69-year-old Rose cited irreconcilable differences for the split, but his petition did not offer any additional details. Rose did not include a date for their separation. Documents in the filing say that Rose is looking to acquire all memorabilia and other possessions before the marriage.

Rose began openly having a relationship with Kiana Kim, a Playboy model, while separated from his second wife, to whom he was married for 20 years. During a 2009 interview, Rose discussed his relationship with Kim, stating, "My girl has finally decided to try to shoot for Playboy, and they were kind enough to give her an opportunity to come to Houston for an interview, and we’re excited about that." A reality show called Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs., following the life of Rose and Kim, premiered on TLC on January 14, 2013.

Two of Rose’s children have lived public lives. Cara has worked as a television actress, appearing as a regular in the first season of the soap opera Passions and playing a recurring role on Melrose Place. She uses the stage name "Chea Courtney". His oldest son, Pete Rose, Jr., spent 16 years as a minor league baseball player, advancing to the majors once for an 11-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. In his first Major League at-bat, Pete Jr. paid tribute to his father by imitating Pete Sr.’s famous batting stance.

In January 2013, Rose began appearing as himself on TLC’s Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs., which resumes after the 2013 baseball season begins.

Permanent ineligibility

Amid reports that he had bet on baseball, Rose was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Bart Giamatti. Rose denied the allegations and Ueberroth dropped the investigation. However, three days after Giamatti became Commissioner, lawyer John M. Dowd was retained to investigate these charges against Rose. Sports Illustrated, who first reported the story of Rose’s gambling on March 21, 1989, gave the public their first detailed report of the allegations that Rose had placed bets on baseball games. Sports Illustrated ran the cover story in issue for the week of April 3, 1989.

Dowd interviewed many of Rose’s associates, including alleged bookies and bet runners. He delivered a summary of his findings to the Commissioner in May. In it, Dowd documented Rose’s alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and compiled a day-by-day account of Rose’s alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. The Dowd Report documented his alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered a minimum of $10,000 a day. Others alleged to have been involved in the activities claim that number was actually $2,000 a day.