Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 20, 1990 TAG: 9007200342
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOE KAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Medium
Baseball's all-time hits leader finished his fall from fame on Thursday when he was sentenced to five months in prison and an additional three months in a halfway house for cheating on his taxes.
He was also fined $50,000 and ordered to do 1,000 hours of community service with inner-city children during his one-year probation after getting out of prison.
Rose, whose 4,256 hits in 24 major-league seasons would seem to make him a certain Hall of Famer, will now have to go before the baseball writers who vote in January 1992 as an ex-con, as well as having been banned from baseball for gambling.
Rose had hoped to avoid jail, but U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel said the severity of the tax crimes mandated prison, in part to serve as an example for others.
The former Cincinnati manager's voice cracked with emotion as he expressed shame over his guilty plea on two counts of failing to report more than $354,000 in income from the sale of autographs, memorabilia and gambling winnings.
"I think I'm perceived as a very aggressive, arrogant type of individual," Rose said, standing a few feet in front of Spiegel. "But I want people to know that I do have emotion, I do have feelings, and I can be hurt like everybody else.
"And I hope no one has to go through what I went through the last year and a half. I lost my dignity, I lost my self-respect, I lost a lot of dear fans and almost lost some very dear friends."
His wife, Carol, sat behind him as he spoke. Rose's voice cracked again when he mentioned the hardship on his family. He accepted responsibility for what he's done.
"I have to take this opportunity to thank my wife for giving me so much moral support during this ordeal," Rose said. "It had to be very tough on her when your 5-year-old son [Tyler] would come home from school and tell her that his daddy is a jailbird."
Spiegel recommended Rose begin serving his sentence at an Ashland, Ky., prison on Aug. 10.
Rose, banned from baseball last Aug. 24 for gambling while managing the Cincinnati Reds, probably won't be eligible for early release, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.
For Rose, the hometown boy who was rookie of the year for Cincinnati in 1963 and starred on the Big Red Machine of the early 1970s, sentencing came in a crowded courtroom just a few blocks from Riverfront Stadium, where he became baseball's all-time hits leader in 1985.
Spiegel praised Rose for his baseball accomplishments with the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos, calling him a "living legend" and "the idol of millions." But Rose's baseball records couldn't save him from a prison record.
"Today, we are not dealing with the legend," Spiegel said. "History and the tincture of time will decide his place among the all-time greats of baseball.
"With regard to Pete Rose, the individual, he has broken the law, admitted his guilt, and stands ready to pay the penalty."
Rose pleaded guilty April 20 to two counts of failing to report income. He admitted he hid $354,968 in income from memorabilia sales, autograph appearances and gambling earnings from 1984-87.
The charges carried a maximum six-year prison term and $500,000 fine. Spiegel's decision was in line with federal sentencing guidelines, which recommend some jail time for the offenses.
"After carefully considering all of these factors, I have concluded that Mr. Rose must serve some time in a prison setting for his crime in order to maintain respect for the law and as a deterrent to others who might consider cheating on their taxes," Spiegel said.
The judge gave Rose time before reporting to jail so he can have surgery to repair torn knee cartilage today and rehabilitate the knee. Rose hurt it while playing stickball last weekend at a family reunion.
by CNB