Soon after Pete Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball, a memorabilia collector asked the all-time hits leader to sign baseballs with the inscription, “I’m sorry I bet on baseball, Pete Rose.” He complied, happy to collect the fees.
Fans and collectors paying for Rose’s autograph in years since have requested, and received, inscriptions including “I’m sorry I shot JFK” and “I’m sorry I screwed up the economy.”
Among other things, Rose has been body-slammed at professional wrestling extravaganzas, participated in a cable-TV reality show (“Hits & Mrs.”), and made his belated gambling confession in a memoir released the same week as the Baseball Hall of Fame vote in January 2004, overshadowing the players elected that year.
