It was one of those quintessential Cincinnati moments at the Hard Rock last week. The casino’s Council Oak Steaks and Seafood restaurant debuted two Johnny Bench-inspired menu items, and the Reds legend was on hand to promote the culinary creations.
For us, it was a long-awaited opportunity to have the Hall of Fame catcher make a guest appearance on The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast. He graciously agreed to the interview, and after his remarks and some photo ops with star-struck fans (I shamelessly count myself among them) we retreated to a private dining room where our equipment awaited.
Before our producer hit the record button, I asked Bench if any topics were off limits, knowing full well what his answer would be. “Pete,” he said as the glimmer in his eyes cooled to hardened steel – much like I imagine opposing pitchers faced as Bench pounded his way to become the Reds' all-time home run leader. “If you ask me about Pete, I’m walking out of here.”
And then he complimented me on my shirt, the sparkle returning to his eyes. But that’s another story.
As a longtime admirer of Bench, I dreaded bringing up the topic of Pete Rose, banned from baseball forever for betting on the game and ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Bench has been consistent in his support of then-commissioner Bart Giamatti’s decision to ban Rose, telling sports broadcaster Dan Patrick in 2015: “My teacher in eighth grade, Frances Tate, said, ‘You make you own bed, you gotta sleep in it.’" Bench has let it be known that he’s got nothing more to say on the matter. Ask at your own risk.
But the journalist in me had to at least give it a shot in light of two new additions to the Pete Rose canon, namely, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” a New York Times best seller written by Cincinnati native Keith O’Brien that came out in March; and the four-part HBO documentary on Rose produced by J.J. Abrams that dropped last month. Bench declined to be interviewed for the documentary, but they included a clip from 1991 where Bench’s weariness of being asked about Rose came out raw and unfiltered: “He broke the rules. He’s not on the eligible list. … When is this thing done?”
I’ve been an unwavering proponent of Rose being enshrined in Cooperstown. I realize my fellow scribes might accuse me of being a homer. Fine. I’ll own up to that.
But after watching the documentary and working my way through most of O’Brien’s book, I was second-guessing my position on the sad state of affairs. And they are sad. Key to the debate is understanding that it was only after Rose’s banishment from baseball did the Hall of Fame link eligibility to a player’s status with the league.
The documentary is hard to watch at times. It paints a portrait of a broken man awash in a sea of lies and self-destruction. The book is even more brutal, drawing from newly released FBI files that cement Rose’s link to illegal gambling, drug traffickers and worse. But I ended up in the same place. Rose belongs in the hall.
Current MLB commissioner Ron Manfred appears in part four of the documentary. His take frames the argument in a way that honors the integrity of the game yet acknowledges the accomplishments of a rough-around-the-edges kid from Anderson Ferry who became baseball’s all-time hits leader.
“I one hundred percent believe if you bet on baseball, you should be banned from baseball for life,” Manfred said. “It should not be the same test as to whether you should be in the Hall of Fame. It’s a museum, after all. It is not a competitive undertaking.”
I’m certain Bench would agree. He’s said as much in the past.
But he’s also got a kid heading off to college, one still in high school and scholarships to hand out through the Johnny Bench Awards. And, as he revealed on our podcast, he has a new wife. He’s got bigger fish to fry than being drawn into the never-ending discussion on Pete Rose.
And speaking of fish: One of those new menu items at the casino is called the “Johnny Bench Catch and Release.” It features red snapper.
It doesn't get more Cincinnati than that.
Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love writes a biweekly column that takes you behind the scenes at The Enquirer. Occasionally, he shares his thoughts on local issues, particularly as they pertain to a free press and open government. Email him at blove@enquirer.com. He can’t respond personally to every email, but he reads them all.
