
Never made sense to me.
Guy acts like a tool, behaves like a spoiled brat, plays by his own ever-changing set of rules, rarely, if ever, gets held accountable ... and Philly sports fans somehow elevate him to legendary status, regardless of how great a player he was, or wasn't – at least while in town under the guise of “team member” with one of its four professional franchises.
But, hey, at least Pete Rose agreed with the Phillies as to their canceling his participation in this weekend's Wall of Fame ceremonies after recent allegations of the creepy, statutory rape kind surfaced about him.
What a guy ...
Sorry, just disgusted by all of it. Any support for Rose. The excuse-making for Allen Iverson. Hell, even the deification of Chase Utley – not for his performance between the lines, but because of his idiotic, alcohol-induced cursing at a parade to celebrate the World Series title back in 2008.
Yo, Charles Barkley often was a jerk while here, too – and his status only rose with that. Same thing with Lenny Dykstra.
The list is endless, and it isn't just relegated to stars. Mediocre crumbs such as former Phillies first baseman Frank Thomas, who spent little more than enough time to finish a cup of coffee in town, have long had their ardent backers here.
Thing is, got no issue with any fan's choice of a favorite player. But the distortion of value, boosted by that player being an ass? Umm, yeah. Got a real problem with that.
Not for nothing, but why the hell was Rose even being considered as an addition to that wall? He wasn't any special player while here, and he spent just five of his 24 seasons in the majors with the Phillies anyway.
Sure, he was part of a championship squad – the first in the organization's history, back in 1980. Emphasis on part, people. Not the driving force that so many like to proclaim. The guy batted .282 with 1 homer and 64 runs batted in that year. His OPS ranked sixth on the team among players with at least 300 at-bats.
For his entire tenure in town, this is what Rose averaged per season: 149 games played, .291 batting average, 78 runs scored, 51 RBIs and 1.6 homers.
Hardly the stuff of legend, and, please, PLEASE, spare me how you can't just go by numbers while then spouting off the intangibles he brought to the table.
What, like where to pick up your next underage date?
Or how to get the best odds on that weekend's top college football matchup?
Ugh. Was sickening then, just as it is now.
You know, to those who have finally opened their eyes ... or opted to use their brains.