Pete Rose signed countless autographs, possibly more than any athlete in history. But in August 1989, he signed the most difficult and consequential document of his life: The agreement banning him from baseball.
After the Special Counsel to the Commissioner John Dowd complied overwhelming evidence supporting the accusation Rose gambled on baseball, including betting slips and other documents provided by sources close to him, “Charlie Hustle” signed his name to an agreement stating he would be banned from the game for life. Though neither formally admitting or denying the charges, Rose would be given the chance for reinstatement once every year for the remainder of his life.
Though Rose did apply for reinstatement multiple times, he never had the ban overturned. During one instance, commissioner Bud Selig offered him a path forward, with the stipulations he owned up to his gambling and stayed away from casinos. Rose did not comply, though, he would finally admit the accusations were true in his 2004 book.
The classic debate raged for decades over whether Rose should be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In the wake of his recent death, the discussion has once again entered the zeitgeist. Much of those discussions, whether consciously or otherwise, are referencing this document, which Goldin Auctions will open for bidding Friday night.
The document, which was also signed by then-commissioner A. Bart Giamatti and deputy commissioner Fay Vincent, includes a line stating Rose “acknowledges that the Commissioner has a factual basis to impose the penalty provided herein."
Goldin’s example was Rose’s personal copy. The auction house listed the same document for auction back in 2012, however, it went unsold, failing to meet its reserve price despite receiving bids up to $255,377.
"To me, it’s one of the most significant and important documents in the history of baseball,” Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin told cllct. “Outside of Jackie Robinson’s 'breaking the color barrier' contracts, I can’t think of a baseball-related document that people are aware of, and had more of an impact on the game in the past 50 years than this.”
The Robinson documents are currently embroiled in a legal saga and in the possession of the U.S. Marshals. The other most famous baseball-related document, the sale of Babe Ruth by the Red Sox to the Yankees, sold for $2.3 million in 2017 and is owned by Kohl’s cofounder Jay Baker.
Bidding has reached $329,400 with buyer’s premium and over two weeks remaining at auction.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.