Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pete Rose

Pete Rose is a former star major league baseball player who is the all-time leader in base hits. However, Rose threw everything away by gambling on baseball (and lying about it), thereby destroying his legacy and barring him from enshrinement in the prestigious Hall of Fame.

Rose was born on April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, OH. Sports were an important part of Rose's life during his youth. He participated in both football and baseball while he was a high school student. Unfortunately, Rose was not gifted academically and apparently failed courses his sophomore year - he was given the option of attending summer school or repeating his sophomore year. Rose' father's choose for Pete to repeat his sophomore year so that he wouldn't have to given up playing baseball during the following summer. Consequently, when Pete Rose reached his senior year in high school, he had already used up his four years of sports eligibility. Rose was able to continue playing baseball during his senior year by playing games on a Class AA baseball team in the Dayton Amateur League. Rose performed well, playing several positions and batting over .500.

The Cincinnati Reds were aware of Pete Rose and in June 1960 signed a professional contract with the Reds. Rose played well in the minor leagues between 1960 and 1962, setting a Class D league record for triples in a season in 1961 and batting .330 in 1962 in Class A. In 1963 Rose was given the opportunity to start at second base during spring training after the Red's starting second baseman, Don Blasingame, pulled a groin muscle. Rose performed well and was elevated to the Reds' starting second baseman. During Spring Training, Rose was given his signature nickname, "Charlie Hustle," by Hall of Fame Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford after Ford saw Rose apparently showboating by sprinting to first base after drawing a walk.

Rose played well as a rookie in 1963, finishing the year batting .273 and acquiring 170 hits. Rose was rewarded for his efforts by winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Two years later, in 1965, Rose had his first .300+ season, batting .312 with 209 hits and finishing sixth in the National League MVP vote. Rose continued to play well throughout the 1960s, leading the National League in batting average in 1968 and 1969, and finishing second the the MVP vote in 1969.

Although Rose was respected for his tenacious style of play, he also began the garner a reputation as one of the biggest and most egocentric jerk/asshole in the game of baseball. In the 1970 All-Star game, for example, Rose plowed into the American League's catcher, Ray Fosse, separating Fosse's shoulder and igniting a quick decline in Fosse's career. The play occurred during the 12th inning of the All-Star game as Rose was trying to score the winning run. Fosse stood in the baseline waiting to catch a throw to home plate when Rose barreled over Fosse, separating Fosse's shoulder. At the time, baseball fans gave Rose a pass for playing into Fosse because he was trying to score the winning run and Fosse was standing in the base path. However, public opinion eventually turned against Rose as he began trash-talking about the incident in an effort to make himself appear more masculine.

Rose supposedly began lying about Fosse, saying that he and Fosse
had been out partying until 2 AM the night before the All-Star game and that "he had [still] been willing to slam into a good friend the way he did." Rose apparently fabricated the entire background of the story, as Fosse has stated that he had never met Rose before that All-Star game. Rose also infuriated fans when he later said, "I could have never looked my father in the eye again, if I hadn't hit Fosse that day."

Despite his actions in the 1970s All-Star game, Rose continued to play well throughout the 1970s. He was arguably the best contact hitter throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973 he had his best season, with 230 hits, a .338 batting average, and winning the National League MVP award. The Reds made the playoffs in 1973 and Rose famously started a fight with the diminutive New Work Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson while attempting to break up a double play during the National League playoffs during a game played in New York. The game was nearly forfeited after the feisty New York crowd started throwing bottles and other garbage onto the field in the direction of Pete Rose.

Rose was a major component of the "Big Red Machine," as the Cincinnati Reds were called during the 1970s. The Big Red Machine was one of the most dominant teams of the 1970s, winning the National League West division six times, playing in four World Series, and winning two World Series titles, in 1975 and 1976.

In 1978 Rose recorded the longest hitting streak in National League history, and the second longest of all time (next to Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak) when he recorded hits in 44 consecutive games. Rose's streak nearly ended during the 32 game until Rose was able to leg out a bunt single in the 9th inning of the game. Rose came across as a whiny crybaby after a game against the Braves when his streak ended - he was upset after striking out during the ninth inning because the Atlanta Braves' pitcher hadn't thrown him a fastball to hit. Rose also recorded his 3,000 hit in 1978, becoming only the 13th player at the time to get so many career hits.

After the 1978 season, Rose left the Reds and joined the Philadelphia Phillies, who made him the highest paid player in the game at the time. Rose proved to be a positive addition to the Phillies, helping them win the first championship in the old franchise's history in 1980.

After five seasons in Philadelphia, Rose returned signed a contract with the Montreal Expos for the 1984 season. Rose apparently left the Phillies because the team was going to reduce his playing time after he had the worst season of his career up to that point, hitting a pedestrian .245 with a pathetic slugging percentage of .286. Rose, however, had grand ambitions of breaking Ty Cobb's all-time record of 4189 hits and the Expos gave him the opportunity to play a starting position on their team.

In 1984 Rose recorded his 4,000th hit, becoming only the second player, along with Ty Cobb, to do so. The Expos traded Rose to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15, 1984. After the trade, Rose was immediately elevated to the role of player-manager. Rose was baseball's last player-manager.

Despite rapidly diminished hitting skills, Rose continued to plow forward and continued to play for two more seasons. On September 11, 1985 Rose recorded the 4,192nd hit of his career against the San Diego Padres' pticher Eric Show, breaking Ty Cobb's record. Hall of Fame player Ted Williams was supposedly not impressed with Rose's record and when asked about Rose's career hits, Williams reportedly remarked that most of Rose's hits were singles.

Rose retired after the 1986 but continued to manage the Reds. Rose was a decent manager, leading the Reds to second-place finishes in the National Leagues' West division during his four full seasons at the helm. Rose was known for his intense managerial style, often clashing with umpires during arguments. During a game against the Mets on April 30, 1988, Rose was suspended for 30 games after infamously pushing an umpire while arguing a call.


Rumors began swirling that Rose had bet on baseball. Gambling on baseball is one of the most egregious sins in the game and the sin which resulted in the suspension of several White Sox player during the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal when the White Sox threw the series.

In February 1989, Rose was questioned by by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth. Rose denied allegations of gambling and Ueberroth dropped the investigation. However, three days after Ueberroth's successor, Bart Giamatti, became Commissioner, lawyer John M. Dowd was retained to investigate gambling charges against Rose. Dowd interviewed many alleged bookies and bet runners who were associated with Rose. Dowd summarized his findings to the Commissioner in May, 1989. Dowd's report documented Rose's alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and listed a day-by-day account of Rose's alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. Dowd's report also documented Rose's alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered at least $10,000 a day. There was no evidence that Rose had bet against the Reds in any of his bets.

However, Commissioner Giamatti was livid and decided to make an example of Rose to make it clear that gambling would not be tolerated. Despite denying all of the allegations, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list on August 24, 1989. Rose was allowed to apply for reinstatement one year later. Rose also began therapy with a psychiatrist for treatment of a gambling addiction in 1989.

In a December 2002 interview, investigator Dowd stated that he believed that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them.

On April 20, 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to two charges of filing false income tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs and memorabilia, and from horse racing winnings. On July 19, Rose was sentenced to five months in the medium security Prison Camp at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois and fined $50,000. Ironically, Rose was driven past a baseball field named after Ray Fosse on his way to prison.

As a member of baseball's ineligible list, Rose has not been eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. If Rose hadn't gambled on baseball games, Rose would surely have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with a near-unanimous vote.

Rose continued to deny the gambling allegations throughout the 1990s and eventually developed a base of fans who wanted him enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In 1999, Rose was voted onto baseball's All-Century team and received a standing ovation before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series. Immediately after the ovation, Rose was asked by NBC's Jim Gray whether he was willing to finally admit to gambling on baseball. Rose vehemently denied ever gambling on baseball and NBC was subjected to public outcry for airing Gray's rude interview.


In 2004, Rose finally admitted to gambling on baseball in his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars. Rose also admitted to betting on Reds games for the Reds to win. Rose was apparently hoping that everyone would forgive him after coming clean. However, Rose was in for a rude awakening when the public turned against him for lying for the previous 15 years.

Ever since receiving his ban, Rose has maintained a living by appearing at memorabilia shows and other venues selling autographed baseballs, bats, photos, and other items. He often wears a hat that reads, "Hit King" and has recently been appearing with a 29-year-old Korean woman named Kiana Kim, who is supposedly his girlfriend. Rose grossed out listeners of the Howard Stern Show when he claimed that he has sex with Kim three times a day without Viagra. Rose also claimed that instead of using birth control he pulls out and shoots his load on his bedroom wall.


Despite having a reputation as a jerk and hot-head, Pete Rose was once one of the most respected players in the game at the time of his retirement in 1986. He cared was focused on setting records and winning. Although renowned for his play on the field, Rose was also famous for his bowl haircut and lack of fashion sense off the field, as shown below in this photo he took for Playboy in the 1970s.


Rose tarnished his baseball legacy and disgraced the game by gambling on baseball and then lying about it for 15 years before finally coming clean. Rose will probably never be taken of baseball's ineligible list as long as he is alive. Despite holding the all-time record for hits, at bats, games played and being one of the career leaders in other categories such as doubles and total bases, Rose has become a pariah of the game. Even when Rose tries to do the right thing, he often screws up, as he did in 2007 when he swore like a sailor while speaking at a "Reds' Legends Baseball Camp." Rose was also recently accused of using a corked bat during the 1980s. For this and the other reasons discussed above, Pete Rose is one washed-up sports celebrity!

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

He reminds me of the Rain Man.

Anonymous said...

Yay, a new entry finally! Also, the 1970s Playboy pic of Pete in his underwear is truly frightening!

Anonymous said...

I don't agree with this entry. The guy is a legend and he gets treated like royalty at baseball events by fans and fellow players, he is banging a hot woman so why would that be washed up?

Movie Fan said...

^^^ Pete Rose has made a mockery of the game of baseball. I liked him as a player and he did compile impressive records. Nobody playing right now is going to break his hits record.

Rose tarnished his legacy by (a) gambling on baseball games, and (b) lying about the gambling for so many years. I don't think that players treat him like royalty, although he certainly does still have a dedicated fan base. His "girlfriend" is almost certainly only with him because he is famous and can help her career.

I remember seeing Rose on one of the home shopping channels selling autographed bats or balls a few years ago. I would say that action alone would be sufficient to earn "washed up" status!

Anonymous said...

pete rose is trailer trash. if he had any sense, he'd hide under a rock.

Anonymous said...

MOVIE FAN: Who gives a shit about gambling? It's an innocent pasttime what are you a religious fundamentalist prude? All these other players do drugs, beat up their wives and thet get into the HOF. Actually YES the majority of baseball players love Pete. When he attends a game he meets and greets with the players and he gets lots of love from them. Do some research. What woman is not with a baseball player(or actor, business man, etc.)for his money? Grow up and get real!

Hank Aaron said...

MLB commissioner Bud Selig mulling pardon for hit king Pete Rose

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/27/2009-07-27_pete_rose.html#ixzz0uv7LGUqq


Thanks to the behind-the-scenes lobbying from some of the most influential Hall of Famers, commissioner Bud Selig is said to be seriously considering lifting Pete Rose's lifetime suspension from baseball.

The tip-off that Selig may now be inclined to pardon baseball's all-time hit king was Hank Aaron's seemingly impromptu interview session with a small group of reporters in the lobby of the Otesaga Hotel on Saturday. In declaring for the first time that he would want an asterisk put on the achievements of any steroid cheats elected to the Hall of Fame, Aaron brought up Rose, who, in August of 1989, was given a lifetime ban for gambling on baseball, saying: "I would like to see Pete in. He belongs there."

It is no secret that Selig considers Aaron one of his closest friends and values his opinions over perhaps all others. It was also learned by the Daily News that in a meeting of the Hall of Fame's board of directors at the Otesaga later on Saturday, two of Rose's former teammates on the board, vice chairman Joe Morgan and Frank Robinson, also expressed their hope that Selig would see fit to reinstate Rose.

Said another Hall of Famer familiar with the situation: "I think a lot of the guys feel that it's been 20 years now for Pete, and would lean toward leniency and time served. If he had admitted it in the first place and apologized way back then, he'd probably be in the Hall by now."

According to another source, the behind-the-scenes lobbying process began five years ago, but stalled because Selig was still not satisfied that Rose was "reconfiguring" his life, as the late commissioner Bart Giamatti had instructed for him to do when he initially placed him on baseball's permanent ineligible list. In addition, the source said, Selig's conditions for any reinstatement would be stiff. Rose likely would need to make another public apology and he would be prohibited from managing.

If Selig does reinstate him, Rose then would become eligible for the Hall of Fame, but on the Veterans Committee ballot, as his 15 years on the Baseball Writers ballot expired during his time on the ineligible list. He would thus have to be elected by his peers, the 65 living members in the Hall of Fame, not all of whom agree with Aaron, Morgan and Robinson that Rose has done his time. It's hard to say if he would get the necessary 75% for election. "I know there are still guys who feel strongly against him," said one Hall of Famer, "and I don't know if that would change even if Selig clears him."

Y said...

You forgot Pete's many appearances at the WWE's Wrestlmania, where he continuously made an ass of himself. And he was inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame. What a joke!

And yes, betting on sports makes one a scumbag. Betting on sports games you're involved in makes one a scumbag to the 10th power.

Eddie R said...

Pete Rose is one ugly mofo!

Kevin_Federlines_Ass said...

Please do an entry for the douchebag duo of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. They're both already washed-up.

Eric Schiffer Fan said...

Can we really consider Pete Rose as a celebrity?

Anonymous said...

Eric Schiffer Fan, Pete Rose is very well-known among baseball fans and his life story is kind of pathetic. I think he is definitely considered to be washed up.

Anonymous said...

ROSE ROCKS!!!

Anonymous said...

Pete Rose used to rock that bowl haircut!

JewveBeenFramed said...

I wonder if Pete Rose ever performed a Cincinnati juicebox on any of his team mates during his time with the Reds?

Love that picture of him in his underoos I would love to smack some homeruns down his tailpipe. Hit me up, Pete!

Anonymous said...

Whats a Cincinnati juicebox?

Anonymous said...

Well at least he never hada mullet. Wasn't he the lead singer for The Monkees?

Anonymous said...

Pete did not make the SI Best hairstyles in sports list! WTF??

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/best.hair.sports.history/content.30.html

Time for a new entry! said...

Who should be next? Scott Baio? Kirk Cameron? Stephen Baldwin? Mike Tyson? I'd hate to have to wait until October for a new one.

Anonymous said...

Bigger asshole: Axl Rose or Pete Rose? Shittier hairstyle Axl Rose or Pete Rose? I think you should do an entry about Axl Rose. Loser broke up Guns N Roses(made a solo album and called it Guns N Roses) and made an album that took 15 years or so to make that bombed.

Anonymous said...

Baseball is rapidly declining in popularity. I heard MTV's Jershey Shore show is getting 4 times the amount of viewers in New York during Yankees baseball playoff games!

Anonymous said...

New entry please! please! PLEASE!?! how about erik Estrada or at least a screech update?

YES!!! said...

I can't believe I didn't think of Axl Rose until now. I definitely want to see an entry about him, as well as an update on here, period.

Anonymous said...

Dude. It's been since July. Time for another one.

Anonymous said...

more washed up celebrities please :)

Anonymous said...

So, do you update this site once a a year now? Come on, man! So many washed-up celebs!

Anonymous said...

I guess you've decided not to do this anymore. Anyone interested in taking up the mantle? :-)

Anonymous said...

I guess you're not doing this anymore. Too bad.

Anonymous said...

I like Pete Rose.

Of course, I'm a pro-wrestling fan and know pretty much nothing about baseball (don't even know what an RBI is).

Speaking of wrestling, you could probably do all kinds of entries on those guys. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Hulk Hogan, Chris Benoit. The list goes on. Once someone's past their prime in wrestling, almost all of them become washed out or dead from drug abuse.

J said...

Hulk Hogan is another great topic, assuming the fork hasn't been stuck in this blog.

Movie Fan said...

^^^ This blog is not dead. I will post an entry on Randy Quaid soon.

Anonymous said...

How about doing a write up on Adam Rich? That guy is the definition of washed up celebrity loser.

Google him If you don't know who he is. I'm sure you'll agree with my assessment.

Sick of Seeing Pete Rose said...

Hopefully a new month means a new entry, am I right?

Movie Fan said...

^^^Yes, the Randy Quaid post is coming soon.

Anonymous said...

Rose's former teammate HALL OF FAMER Johnny Bench has absolutely nothing nice to say about Rose at all privately and even in interviews Bench usually tries to avoid saying positive about Rose at all (and he only does it when he's badgered) ... still with hocking his overpriced wares and his hot Asian girlfriend he seems to be living the washed up life in comfort.

Breezeman said...

AS long as he didn't bet against himself, who cares?

Anonymous said...

wasn't pete rose in a wrestlemania segment?

donlemc said...

Pete Rose was a great athlete...He waHe should be pardoned...he was my hero then and remains so now. Nixon was pardened for a lot more than gambling..Since when is forgivness not a virtue...

Frank Da'Ma'Ge said...

Personally I don't get the whole self righteous posture people take on sports figures. I mean it's pretty naive to think these guys are supposed to act like a bunch of choir boys. After all, they aren't running for Congress or anything (like [b]that's[/b] any contrast!).

They get paid butt loads of money, have women throwing themselves at them and undoubtedly have access to all kinds of drugs and alcohol. Some people corrupt easier than others and just because someone is a great athlete doesn't necessarily mean they have an iron will. Fame and fortune can be a tough road for some and its pretty easy to fuck it up, I'm sure.

However, I do understand that for the people who really love the game and [b]WANT to see (believe in)[/b] it in all its romanticized beauty and the idealized purity (that actually never was), Pete Rose must seem like the "Bad Lieutenant" of baseball.

He pissed on what should have been a revered and prestigious career, essentially all for a couple of extra bucks. It should be obvious that the guy had a serious problem with gambling, as well as intelligent decisions. If he'd been smart enough to stick to his original story up until his deathbed, he'd probably have an even bigger fan base of supporters and still be a marketable "hero". So while a great ball player he was, a rocket scientist he definitely was not.

Now for those still wondering why he should be considered [b]"washed up"[/b], all you have to do is look at the comments from some of the die hard fans who posted here (which I am not and never was). He was a legend in a profession that most guys would call their "dream job" and is now reviled by his fans as well as the entire organization.
Sure, do a little digging and you'd probably find over 50% of the people who've scorned him are hypocrites, but they're also probably not as public a figure as he was.

Personally I could care less about Pete Rose or baseball, but I frequently found myself thinking about this situation over the years, since I was a kid and figured it was time to get it out.

Shit, I remember flipping cards and thinking winning his was a big fucking deal. Though that's what [b]kids[/b] do; they put human beings on pedestals because they don't know how the world works, or more often than not, how it doesn't.

Grow up people and cast your self righteous stones at someone else. Like the politicians.

Eric Ellis said...

Pete Rose is a massive puss.

pbbigblue said...

people can say what they want but Pete Rose was the best baseball player ever and what happened when he was coaching should have nothing to do with the hall of fame he should be in an all true sports fans know it. On the field nothing but pure hustle an deadacation. Coaching a stupid mistake.

Arbi Baraev said...

well, i don't really care for baseball because it's such a lame sport that only lame people devoid of any taste can enjoy, but after doing research i have come to the conclusion that pete rose is washed up, and he can't be in the hall of fame because gambling is specifically called out in the rules as a cause for disqualification, so despite wife beaters and other creeps getting this honor, he can't. if others have broken rules (which i'm sure is the case) it just means that the organization is hypocritical and these players don't deserve it either. pete rose though is washed up because he has whored himself out to the wwe several times as a heel, or more aptly, a joke. (he was chokeslamed by kain once i believe). second, he shows off his ladyboy wife as if he's living the good life (if he considers getting penetrated good, then let him rejoice), third,he is a dirty old man in the vein of chuck berry; i can't picture any sane person watching a sex tape even involving a photo of him. he is one of the fugliest people to ever walk the earth. i can't even watch trannies anymore without picturing his ugly mug brooding around the set. ughhhh. he is more than washed up, he is a modern day bogey man.

Danno said...

A lot of people don't understand why it is so bad for a player or manager to bet or fix a game.

The reason is hidden in plain site.

Professional sports cannot exist in their present form by selling hot dogs and jerseys.

Professional sports is married to the gambling industry. (A multi, multi-billion dollar a year industry.)

If gamblers had to fear that games were fixed, it would smack the gambling industry hard.

It's all about gambling my friends. The marriage between professional sports and gambling is a disgusting disgrace. And that is WITHOUT fixing!

Do you ever wonder why sports is shoved down our throats? It's to get people hooked and breed new gamblers.

Joe CockerSpaniel said...

Pete Rose was one of my boyhood heroes growing up. He was "Charlie Hustle"--the bluecollar athlete who personified what the average ballplayer could be with hard work and attitude. No, he didn't hit towering home runs but he didn't strike out either. He was as consistent as clockwork. A pedestrian ballplayer who transformed hardwork into a stellar career.

For the turds who think baseball is an easy game, TRY to hit a round ball with a round bat . .squarely. At the major league level, batters have less than a full second to make that transition. Baseball is chess. A thinking man's game. Very few did it better than Pete Rose.

Only he couldn't get over himself. He was cocky, arrogant and at times a miserable teammate. A liar. Had he just come clean and admitted his betting,chances are he'd be in the Hall of Fame by now. People want to forgive those who show contrition. Rose never did. He hid behind his arrogance and it cost him. Still costing him.

I remember seeing him on WWE matches. Watching the "Undertaker" piledrive him to the canvas. A carnival sideshow. Also, sad and disgusting. Rose had no way of making a living. Banned from the game on the professional level, he took the circus route. Hawking anything he could sign. Sad. WWE impresario Vince McMahon even "inducted" him into the WWE "Hall of Shame". Total bullshit.

Betting is illegal but I don't buy into those who think betting on baseball is big money. Football and basketball, oh yeah. Bigtime. But baseball is much harder to "fix". One man can't do it alone. Today's athletes are far superior. Even Pete Rose would be hard pressed to hit pitchers nowadays. The "specialists", the relievers are just too good.

Pete Rose made his bed and now he's stuck with it. But if misery loves company, at least he'll have Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to share that brown paper bag lunch with. My heroes, no more. Screw 'em all.

Kirk Roebuck said...

Fosse was straddling the baseline without the baseball. foolish and he paid the price for attempting something you might see in Little League. You DO NOT block the plate without the ball. Ask Buster Posey.


The underwear picture is from a Jockey Underwear ad........they had several pro baseball players doing these ads, including Jim Palmer.

Anonymous said...

Yep, doesn't matter how many hits you have, fans you endear or records you break as a professional athlete. If you gamble on the very game you play in, all the above-mentioned goes right out the window. Rose should have addressed his gambling issues earlier in life, but his huge ego wouldn't allow it. As long as we're doing washed up athletes, how about Randy Moss? Probably the most gifted athlete in the history of football and his attitude destroyed his career.

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised that Pete Rose had to repeat a year in high school, it's obvious that he's not an intelligent person. He had it all and he threw it away on something as foolish as gambling.

Anonymous said...

Washed up sports celebrity: Terrell Owens. What a waste.

Anonymous said...

Or more washed up sports celebrities like:Mike Tyson,Dennis Rodman,Diego Armando Maradona and Paul Gascoigne!

Anonymous said...

This article is riddled with misinformation. Please do your homework before you fill-in-the-blanks with lies. Example, the underwear photo was from an advertisement for Jockey brand underwear. http://www.4192cards.com/rose/mags/60-70magads/images/1977%20Jockey%20in%20Uniforms%20-%20Ad.jpg

Anonymous said...

"Diminutive"?

Bud Harrelson - 5'11", 160lbs.
Pete Rose - 5'11", 192lbs.

Not exactly a mismatch, on the baseball diamond.

Again, do your homework!