THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL ROSE'S LATEST INGLEWOOD HUSTLE.Byline: TOM HOFFARTH Any time Pete Rose Yet, seemingly without much concern to anyone at the Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
v. scrib·bled, scrib·bling, scrib·bles v.tr. 1. To write hurriedly without heed to legibility or style. 2. To cover with scribbles, doodles, or meaningless marks. v. his autograph on anything thrust under his nose at a well-attended memorabilia and collectibles show. Technically, Rose wasn't in the actual casino where the non-trading cards were being dealt around the tables, nor was he near the off-track horse racing horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with betting windows. On this warm Saturday afternoon, sitting alongside the likes of Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a Hall of Fame and Heisman Trophy winning American football running back who spent his entire professional career with the Detroit Lions of the NFL. , Jack Youngblood, Dick Butkus, Ron Yary, Anthony Davis and Jim Brown, Rose was an escalator ride from the casino lobby, sitting behind a long banquet table in a room that faces the first turn of the famed horse track and is generously referred to as a ``convention center.'' Anyone willing to pay the $7 admission fee, then spring for an additional $49 to $89, had the privilege of witnessing Rose sign their photograph, bat or ball, and maybe even smile for a camera flash. For someone such as Rose - whose lifetime ban from baseball levied 13 years ago is directly linked to him admitting he gambled on games, who served five months of jail time in 1990 for failure to report income to the IRS An abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing internal revenue laws. from gambling, autographs, personal appearances and the sale of memorabilia, and who just paid off a federal tax debt from 1998 in excess of $150,000 so that a lien could be taken off his Sherman Oaks condo - being seen anywhere near a gaming facility seems unscrupulous, shortsighted short·sight·ed adj. 1. Nearsighted; myopic. 2. Lacking foresight. short  sight and just plain stupid.
Even though Rose's primary income these days comes from card shows and memorabilia contracts - he gets upward of $30,000 just for showing up at these things - his agent, Warren Green, recently told the Cincinnati Enquirer En`quir´er n. 1. See Inquirer. Noun 1. enquirer - someone who asks a question asker, inquirer, querier, questioner his client is now in a ``very sensitive position'' as baseball commissioner Bud Selig considers squashing the lifetime ban levied in 1989. Heck, Rose appears closer than ever to being reinstated, as Selig is reported to be ready to make some kind of decision once the upcoming postseason is over. Why, then, would Rose put himself at risk? We honestly don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. . After paying to get in and watching Rose work the crowd, we asked the event organizer whether it would be possible to interview Rose for five minutes when he was finished. Twenty minutes later came word relayed by Rose's agent that the answer was no. ``Pete is just here to meet and greet the fans and that's it,'' said the promoter guy with the Hawaiian shirt and ponytail. ``If you want to speak with him, contact his agent.'' Calls were made Saturday and Sunday. None were returned. ... --Note on Rose's official Web site (www.peterose.com), where even more merchandise is there for those with a credit card, anyone is invited to fill out a form and request his presence at their events via e-mail. ``Pete Rose is available to appear at many different types of events including keynote speeches, cocktail parties, golf outings and many more.'' Like a weekly poker party? ... --Shawn Green's sore right shoulder wouldn't even be an issue if he played all his home games in Colorado. ... --With any luck, Kurt Warner won't remember anything that happened Sunday. ... --Probably is best the Cincinnati Bengals decided to wear all black, but they might want to borrow the Cleveland Browns' orange pants. ... --On that first touchdown catch Detroit rookie Charles Rodgers made, it almost looked as though he lost his mind and was going to break out a Heisman pose. ... --For those who need to know: Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was the 38th championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas following the 2003 regular season. will be Feb. 1 in Houston, home of the undefeated Texans. Teams TBA TBA See: To be announced . |
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