683 - Pete Rose - part two

Summary

Episode 683 - Pete Rose - Part Two

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Hosts: Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds from "The Dollop" podcast

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Introduction to Pete Rose and Episode Context

In this episode, Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds continue their exploration of Pete Rose's complex life and career. Building on the foundation established in part one, the hosts delve deeper into Rose's personal struggles, his relentless drive on the baseball field, and the controversies that have marred his legacy.

Pete Rose's Career Ascendancy

The episode kicks off with a discussion of Rose's significant achievements during the late 1970s. After winning his first World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in spring 1977 (03:24), Rose's performance elevated him to legendary status. His dedication in the playoffs, culminating in consecutive championships against the Boston Red Sox, marked the peak of his career.

Notable Quote:

Dave Anthony: "Spring 1977 Spring Training, Pete Rose has just won their first World Series against the Boston Red Sox. It's big. It's big."
03:24

Personal Life Turmoil and Scandals

Rose's personal life becomes a focal point as the hosts reveal his extramarital affairs and the birth of his illegitimate daughter, Morgan Rubio (03:35). Rose's relationship with Terry Rubio, a cocktail waitress, introduces a web of deceit and emotional strain. The arrangement Rose purportedly had with his wife Carolyn, allowing him to pursue affairs, is scrutinized, highlighting the lack of transparency and mutual respect in his relationships.

Notable Quote:

Gareth Reynolds: "You also, you forget that for all the people who complain when you drink water doing podcasts for a long time, there are these people who really are turned on by it."
01:08

The Hitting Streak and Its Downfall

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Rose's quest to break Joe DiMaggio's legendary 56-game hitting streak. By the time Rose achieves a 44-game streak against the Braves (19:53), the nation is abuzz with excitement. However, his attempt to break the record ends abruptly when Braves' closer Gene Garber outsmarts him with an unconventional pitching strategy (24:42).

Notable Quote:

Dave Anthony: "He swings too soon. And Garber jumps up and does a massive fist pump. He took out the mighty Pete Rose. He ended the streak."
24:42

Marge Schott and Team Management Conflicts

Marge Schott, the controversial part-owner of the Reds, plays a pivotal role in Rose's career trajectory. Her abrasive management style and insensitive remarks (56:17) create a toxic environment that clashes with Rose's ambitions. The hosts discuss how Schott's decisions, including firing GM Dick Wagner, aim to revive the team's fortunes but also contribute to internal strife.

Notable Quote:

Dave Anthony: "Marge had deep Cincinnati roots... In Marge's parlance, Jewish people were sneaky Jew bastards. Asian people were Japs, black athletes were million dollar n words."
56:17

Transition to Coaching and Escalating Gambling Issues

As Rose transitions into a player-manager role, his performance paradoxically improves on the field (58:41). However, his personal life deteriorates as his gambling debts spiral out of control. Rose's association with illicit bookies and his involvement in steroid use (70:14) paint a picture of a man increasingly consumed by vices that undermine his professional and personal stability.

Notable Quote:

Dave Anthony: "He's trying to make everything interesting... His gambling is getting way worse... It's all because he simply would not pay people when he didn't feel like paying them."
59:26

The Rhode Island Mob and Legal Troubles

Rose's deepening entanglement with organized crime introduces a perilous element to his downfall. The Skin Man from the Dayton Syndicate becomes a menacing figure demanding repayment of Rose's gambling debts (60:16). This liaison not only threatens Rose's career but also his freedom, escalating the stakes as law enforcement begins to close in on mob activities within sports betting.

Notable Quote:

Gareth Reynolds: "Our decision making is a little off on this one."
71:25

The Final Hitting Milestone and Emotional Climax

On September 11, 1985, Rose achieves his monumental 4,192nd hit, breaking Ty Cobb's all-time record (74:06). The celebration is intense, with a standing ovation from a packed stadium. However, the moment of triumph is bittersweet as Rose grapples with personal vulnerabilities, leading to a poignant father-son interaction with his son, Pete Jr., symbolizing a brief respite from his chaotic life.

Notable Quote:

Pete Jr.: "I've never experienced that. My first father-son moment."
74:49

Conclusion and Legacy Reflection

The episode concludes by reflecting on Rose's dual legacy as both a baseball legend and a figure mired in controversy. The hosts emphasize the lessons learned from Rose's life—how excessive ambition and personal failings can overshadow professional accomplishments. Rose's story serves as a cautionary tale about the costs of unchecked vices and the complexities of idolizing flawed individuals.

Notable Quote:

Gareth Reynolds: "Everything about. But they're just. Now it's like, all right, Carolyn, this is what you get for marrying a perfect man."
44:03

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This second part of Pete Rose's saga meticulously unpacks the intertwined dynamics of his athletic excellence and personal degradation. Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds offer a compelling narrative that not only chronicles Rose's rise and fall but also invites listeners to ponder the broader implications of fame, accountability, and the human cost of greatness.

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Timestamps

• [03:24] Introduction to Pete Rose's first World Series win.
• [01:08] Discussion on personal dynamics and relationships.
• [19:53] Pete Rose's hitting streak reaching 44 games.
• [24:42] The end of Rose's hitting streak by Gene Garber.
• [56:17] Marge Schott's controversial remarks.
• [58:41] Transition to Rose's role as player-manager.
• [70:14] Rose's involvement with steroids and gambling.
• [60:16] Interaction with the Rhode Island Mob.
• [74:06] Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb's hitting record.
• [74:49] Emotional moment between Rose and his son.
• [44:03] Reflection on Rose's impact on his wife Carolyn.

Note: Advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections have been excluded from this summary as per instructions.

Transcript

[Dave Anthony]

The Dollop is going on tour in June 2025. We will be in Sacramento on June 3rd. We'll be in Boise, Idaho, on June 4th, Spokane on June 5th, Seattle on June 6th, Portland on June 7th, Bend, Oregon on June 8th, and San Francisco on June 10th. Go to the dollop podcast.com to get all our tour links for tickets. You're listening to the Dollop on the All Things Comedy Network. This is an American history podcast where each week I, Dave Anthony, read a story from American history to that. It's your turn.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't care for that statement.

[Dave Anthony]

You don't care for that?

[Gareth Reynolds]

No. You're making me. It's getting worse. We're buddies. Gareth Reynolds, who has no idea what the topic is going to be about. Didn't you listen to that one person who said we shouldn't be drinking?

[Dave Anthony]

That's why I did it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You also, you forget that for all the people who complain when you drink water doing podcasts for a long time, there are these people who really are turned on by it. You know, the people who really like the sipping stuff. Yeah, I'm making boners, so. All right, I don't. I thought we were on the same team. And then you said something there that.

[Dave Anthony]

I like to think that our podcast is doing that all the time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There are people who are. Who are banging to this show. You know, I want to send a shout out real quick to the people who masturbate during the show. How are you doing right now? How's it going? Good work.

[Dave Anthony]

Good work, guys.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I love Shout out to the podjackers. Shout out to the podjackers. People. You're. You guys have been overlooked for long enough. We get it. You like listening to two guys with beautiful voices. One a little nasally. The others, you complain about his laugh. You like listening to the dulcet tones of these guys. Walk you through the return to American hell, which we're on our way to. So to all the people pod jacking right now. And by the way, that Shaft and Bean, enjoy yourselves.

[Dave Anthony]

Shafton Bean.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Shafton Bean.

[Dave Anthony]

Every morning on 98.7.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Shaft and Beaner is perfect. Hey, all right there. What are we looking at today? Be.

[Dave Anthony]

We got.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hold on a second, Chef. Before that, we should talk about the car giveaway over the weekend. I was going to. I was going to bring that up, but obviously we've jumped into Toyota. Thon. Boy, have we. Boy, howdy, have we.

[Dave Anthony]

You know, I don't usually listen to, like, music podcasts, but my friend just started one called the Record junkies. And he sent it to me. It was first episode.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who?

[Dave Anthony]

Brennan Small.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I know him too.

[Dave Anthony]

And he. And he did one. He. It was about yacht rock. And I just sat there and listened to the whole goddamn thing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Huh?

[Dave Anthony]

Whole thing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Huh?

[Dave Anthony]

But yeah, well, it's good. It's like I. There's certain subjects you can hook me in with. You want to talk about yacht rock, I'm there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm going to make sure that we follow each other, because then he's my friend too.

[Dave Anthony]

Spring 1977 Spring Training 771977 so Pete rose has just won. They've just won their first World Series against the Boston Red Sox. It's big. It's big. Pete got the. The monkey off his back, right? He's Now. Now he's good in the playoffs. He wins.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way. If I had a monkey on my back, I would definitely nurse it back to health and keep it.

[Dave Anthony]

What if it was chewing through.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Chewing through the back?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'd find a way to make it realize that was wrong. And then I put a little diaper on it and I put him into little outfits, like little onesies. Start an Instagram with him. Garfman and the monkey boy. And we would just do a thing where we would. Lady in the Tramp spaghetti.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. He killed you a long time ago.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, no, no, no, no. See, making stuff up.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm not making stuff up. You are one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's a tiny little spider monkey. He's a capuchin.

[Dave Anthony]

100% gonna die for a monkey.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Name a worse name a name a worse death die from.

[Dave Anthony]

Rhino.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Super weird to be ready to say. Luke and I went and had a couple beers last night and they started doing bar trivia. And bar trivia to me is flee.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Because you have English nightmare feels.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I just want to go.

[Dave Anthony]

You. Because you've been in pubs and, you know, I just.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Any. Anywhere where that all of a sudden the vibe is taken over by a game that most people don't want to play.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Luke. He goes, oh, yes. And I go.

[Dave Anthony]

It's like he's always wanted to do it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I go, what? He goes, we gotta stay. And I go, what the fuck? I go, no, let's. This is like closing time.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We leave and. No, they're doing Bartra. So he gets excited. He gets us a little sheet and he start. You know, he's a smart guy, despite the fact that he's probably eating poop on the podcast and he's. He's going through. And then the one of the rounds is. Is pictures of, like, animals. Like, their feet, and you're supposed to pick those. So whatever. We do that round, and then the last round is idioms. And, yeah, we got a number of them wrong. And Luke was furious. Like, it was like the first time. I was like, oh, he is competitive. He was furious, and he wanted to go. To start talking to the woman running the trivia, telling her why his answers were right. Oh, Luke.

[Dave Anthony]

Luke.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's amazing.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's got a little bit of. He's got a little Pete Rose in him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, he's got a little rose in him.

[Dave Anthony]

So 1977, spring training. It's in Tampa, Florida, where the Reds play their spring training. Spring training is where the baseball teams get ready for the season.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. They put the springs on their shoes and go ahead.

[Dave Anthony]

That's where Pete met Terry Rubio. She's staying in the same hotel as Pete, his wife and his kids.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And she's hot.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Quote, nine and a half out of ten.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's a.

[Dave Anthony]

Don't know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know. It's such a weird.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He. He's quoted as saying that, or one.

[Dave Anthony]

Of the teammates did.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Probably him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

But, yeah, it's. Why don't you just go 10?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I think. I think the compliment. Look, if you're gonna just go purely physical, give her the 10.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, look, you know what she is?

[Gareth Reynolds]

She's a 9.8, a half shy of totally hot. She's so close.

[Dave Anthony]

God, baby, you are right there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're not going to.

[Dave Anthony]

You know what? You need the big poofy hair.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. By the way. And. But I mean, like, from coming from guys who look like Neanderthals.

[Dave Anthony]

I know. That's the thing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're close to perfect.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, look at me. I'm like a thumb.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

So. So Terry thought it's all okay. It's the 70s, and the roses had an agreement. Right. Why else would he be doing it? Carolyn got to be Mrs. Rose, while Pete gets to have a little fun on the side. You know, it's an arrangement, Garrett. There's no such agreement.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I would assume. Assuming. That is strange.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Being like, oh, he's cheating. His wife must be cool with it. No.

[Dave Anthony]

Terry and Pete slept together in Tampa and regularly throughout the season. He made no attempt to hide it from any. Anyone, including his team. When he wanted her to join him on the road, he had her book flights directly through the team. Travel secretary.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That does not surprise me, though, that.

[Dave Anthony]

That I'm sure they do that all the time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That does not surprise me. I mean, that you're kind of going, you know, whatever. I mean, that's like, what is he going to do? Book his own travel? This is the 70s. It is so much harder to book your own travel in this. How the fuck do you book travel unless through a travel agent in the 70s? He's going to leave a paper trail.

[Dave Anthony]

There's no way. What did you do?

[Gareth Reynolds]

You'd go to the fucking airport. One, please. You could just get the out of here. I'm talking about, hello, I'd like to.

[Dave Anthony]

Buy a fly somewhere.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I mean, you just call it. What would you just call it?

[Dave Anthony]

The only way to do is to call a travel agent. That's it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That, that business. There was definitely some guy who was like, priceline, that won't last.

[Dave Anthony]

I actually thought maybe it would be easier to use a travel agent. When we first started. And I was like, all right, there's one on my town. And I called him up and had him do it and it was so much worse and so much more stuff. It was terrible. I was just like, why do people do this?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know. We actually were completely flat footed. We did not expect this phone to ring. Have you heard of Priceline?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, exactly.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Potentially. Go onto one of those sites.

[Dave Anthony]

Quote. She stayed in Pete's hotel room, mingled with the other wives and the press sunbathe next to manager Sparky Anderson at hotel swimming pools. Anderson and cheered Pete all the way to the World Series again. Terry was in New York in October when the Reds faced the Yankees again to win their second championship in a row.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

She was in a hotel room at the New York Sheridan while Carolyn was in another room. It was brazen even by ball players standards. Terry was worried about running into Carolyn in the lobby.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

But Pete seemed to get off on pushing the limits. Terry's family also was into pushing limits, especially her dad, H. Famed Florida bookie Ralph Rubio.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, here we go.

[Dave Anthony]

Now you know how they met.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Right. They didn't bump into each other in the hotel. She was taking bets or whatever. Right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. Come on.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It seems strange. It's, it's a, it's very coincidental. I'm. I'm still caught up on the fact that. Is he supposed to book her in another hotel? I mean, that is a huge pain in the ass.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, no. If you're gonna cheat on your wife, you know, just do a different floor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah. That's all you do. Yeah. You just do different floors.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, I guess you could. Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

New York.

[Dave Anthony]

I just can't imagine the stress.

[Gareth Reynolds]

World Series. Oh, the stress. Oh, my God. That is truly, like, you know, not cheating. Part of it is based on just decency and respect for a relationship.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The other part is distress. I would just be sitting there. That's the whole time. It would just be like one night. I'd be like, my dick sucked.

[Dave Anthony]

It's exactly why I don't murder people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, me too. I never murdered anyone. What?

[Dave Anthony]

That's just the way you said it. It was the tongue.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What do you mean? I never murdered. I never, never have I ever done something like that.

[Dave Anthony]

What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Taking a guy, taking a man's life because he's. Because of the way that I saw it playing out, long term, to my advantage.

[Dave Anthony]

Why would it play out to your advantage?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Mind games with someone who I need to get control over. I haven't done it.

[Dave Anthony]

You have done it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Have not done it. Listen, clearly, even. What?

[Dave Anthony]

Let's just go on.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I'm ready to go on.

[Dave Anthony]

At some point, we're gonna have to talk.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And by the way, it's possible, just so everyone knows, you can take someone's life and still miss it.

[Dave Anthony]

You know what? Next time we meet Roger, our counselor, we'll talk about this.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'd love to talk about it with Roger.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And bring up the picture of your dad.

[Dave Anthony]

A picture of my dad?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. So he sees him. You know, what I saw him as.

[Dave Anthony]

Just save it for Roger.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that's fine. Just a great. He's a great man.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

In 19, he's greater than you. Were you part of the Sons of the Western Front?

[Dave Anthony]

No. Neither was he. Sons of the Western Front.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So good.

[Dave Anthony]

Sons of the Western Front. Sons of the Western Front.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way, when your dad's up there with that little uniform on, giving that speech, you think any of them knew that he had a fart chair?

[Dave Anthony]

Nobody knew.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that was the great little secret.

[Dave Anthony]

It's like. It's like a rose bud. Same deal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Revealing rose bud. Like, fart chair with far chair at the end of the. Like you're watching it, you're just like, what the. Wait, what? What's going on?

[Dave Anthony]

Look, if you push it here, man, fart chair, people joining it for the first time are like, what is happening?

[Gareth Reynolds]

This is a history show.

[Dave Anthony]

In 1977, Terry got pregnant.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, boy.

[Dave Anthony]

On top of that, she was being followed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, most women who are pregnant are.

[Dave Anthony]

But she's also the daughter of a big time bookie.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. Right.

[Dave Anthony]

So. So she already knew a thing or two. And Terry knew almost instantly she was being tailed and watched.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

One of her father's friends at the sheriff's office looked into it and confirmed it. It was a former New York City cop turned private eye.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

His client.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

Major League Baseball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Because Pete had been making phone calls to Terry from the clubhouse, many just before games began. What the fun.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's also weird.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, that's very consistent with the behavior of someone who is betting on baseball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Ah, there we go.

[Dave Anthony]

Terry denied and makes the story go away.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete is very glad to be rid of the story. He's also happy to be rid of Terry. He didn't want another wife and another kid, like, because she got pregnant. He's like, okay, so what is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What is it now?

[Dave Anthony]

It's. But wait, I'm here to have another. Okay, but look, I don't want that. I just want to play ball and around. Yeah, well, you should.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Decision has been made to have a baby by you and me.

[Dave Anthony]

But not a family, like, well, but a baby.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's a baby. You're not.

[Dave Anthony]

You can do that over there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's yours.

[Dave Anthony]

It was.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Is not. Remains to be.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm gonna take you out a second.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you talking about?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. I'm gonna slide you so hard.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, you're not. No, you're not. That would be. That would be a solution. So I decided to charge her at the belly.

[Dave Anthony]

Uh, yes. He doesn't want another family. The whole point of fucking around is to fuck around. Then it gets serious. Right? That's just. That's his thing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Really bad.

[Dave Anthony]

But also, he just met a cocktail waitress named Carol with, quote, the best ass in Cincinnati.

[Gareth Reynolds]

First of all, by the way, still not the best ass.

[Dave Anthony]

I know, but when they gave out that award.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the singing of our national Astham.

[Dave Anthony]

He would send Terry payments for his illegitimate child, a daughter. And then he went on his way.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way, you know, when that kid was born, it, like, started from the sternum, had his steam when it rocked out.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Took out.

[Dave Anthony]

Took out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The doctor just ran through. Just takes out the doctor. The doctor drops the forceps.

[Dave Anthony]

Is it a boy or girl? It's a rose. Whoa. It's all hustle. Don't do that. The noise.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Don't you see how I do my hands? Too much.

[Dave Anthony]

It's too much.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's just the sound.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, but it's not necessary.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like someone listening to someone go through a plasma Stargate.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. So Carolyn puts up. She put up with a lot. But Pete's the. Pete's with the young girls. Running around with a cocktail waitress named Carol, which is very close to her name that's also having a kid with another woman. It's all.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's all done. Some lines have been crossed.

[Dave Anthony]

So one day at a concession stand, Fawn. And that's his daughter. And Carolyn see Carol and she's wearing a diamond necklace, which Carolyn recognized. And it's something Pete bought for her. And she marched over and ripped it off and was.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So. Wait, he punched.

[Dave Anthony]

She just. She saw it and she realized, like, that's exactly Pete's style.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Pile of buying.

[Dave Anthony]

And she ripped it off and she was like, this is mine. Because he bought it with our money.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And.

[Dave Anthony]

And Carol was just like, yeah. So Pete and Carolyn now separate.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And some women just don't cut out for relationships.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, no, they can't if you can't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They're very. And we say this is two CIS white men, but yeah, women just sometimes can't handle what we do. Watch his friend, which is just. We're incorrigible little scamps who are going to do whatever we want. And I see hole. Me go in.

[Dave Anthony]

This is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Come on now. Would you just stop? You read the terms and conditions of this deal.

[Dave Anthony]

You make a good point.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Excuse me. This thing go bigger now. Me use it to go smaller.

[Dave Anthony]

Go big. Go in.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Me go bigger. Me go in. Questions later. Shut up. Stop texting.

[Dave Anthony]

So. So they're separated. Pete moves into a friend's spare room.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How the fuck can he not afford his own spot?

[Dave Anthony]

That's a good question. Just move into a. Whatever. So obviously Pete is going to start playing better now because he's got controversy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's self motivating.

[Dave Anthony]

He now gets his 3,000 hit. So only 13 players in the history of baseball had done it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's crazy.

[Dave Anthony]

He also took a run at the most sacred record in baseball, Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that's going to be his penis.

[Dave Anthony]

Which is sacred. It's considered to be the record that will never be broken.

[Gareth Reynolds]

56 game inning streak. Yeah. Okay. But I mean, he was so used to carrying a bat around in his pants all the time.

[Dave Anthony]

Thank you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So he was very at home just hitting.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. Any athlete would be distracted by what's going on at home and his family falling apart. But Pete just gets locked in. He's making history. He passes the National League 37 game hitting streak and the country's going crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like, sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Every team Pete faces, especially their owners, are thrilled. They congratulate him, they thank him because he's filling the whole stadium.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like McGuire bonds.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. It's just packing stadiums. He's making them tons of money. When he got to Atlanta, he shouted to the stadium workers, quote, you're gonna love me after tonight.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, actually, you know, this job sort of sucks.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I make the same. If I sell 9.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Man who has no capability of relating to commoners, I sell hot dogs.

[Dave Anthony]

You.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You guys are gonna be happy today.

[Dave Anthony]

Where you guys mow this grass after I'm gone, huh?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I know. Every time I leave a comedy club, my last word is you're. I just go, you're welcome. You're welcome.

[Dave Anthony]

So the atmosphere is electric. Braves fans booed their own pitchers when they threw outside.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, yeah. But by the way, that is shitty.

[Dave Anthony]

I get it. You want him, like, face the guy. Throw, throw. Throw him pitches.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I also like how they have to signal for it, though. Like, be. Be lame.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, be lame. Can it be lame?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Be lame.

[Dave Anthony]

Players on the whole team were literally buckling at the knees under the pressure. In the sixth inning, Pete hit a ground ball past a diving second baseman and the stadium exploded. The streak was up to 44 games.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And the record's 56.

[Dave Anthony]

56. I remember this.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, right.

[Dave Anthony]

The next day, Pete ran into something you cannot out hustle, and that is bad luck. He hit two really hard line drives, one right to third base and one that led to a highlight reel catch by a career minor league pitcher who couldn't. He couldn't believe what he'd done. He's just, like, looking at his glove. The inning ended and the pitcher just staring dumbfounded his glove. And Pete has one last chance. One last at bat against Braves closed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Why didn't you just run into the pitcher when he caught.

[Dave Anthony]

Good question. Good question.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It just seems like the logical move.

[Dave Anthony]

It is a good question.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Attack him and say, oh, I was sliding in the mound.

[Dave Anthony]

Let me ask you a baseball question, please. Finally, if you're on base at first and you're going to second, can you run to the outfield fence.

[Gareth Reynolds]

As, like a detour?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Can you run? I don't believe you can. I believe there is a little bit of. I think they keep you zoned in a little.

[Dave Anthony]

You can run to the outfield fence.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, you can't.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes, you can.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You so you could.

[Dave Anthony]

You make your own base path so you. So wherever you go, you just have to go back. So when you run to the outfield fence and then to second.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Has. Has anyone ever been the funniest baseball player of all?

[Dave Anthony]

Because if there's a guy on third, you can distract the team by running the outfield fence. And then they don't know what to do.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Is there footage of this?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know if it's ever happened in a pro game, but it's definitely.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Happened in a pro. I would just be doing that regularly.

[Dave Anthony]

My dream is to coach a high school team and just do trick plays the whole time and fuck everybody.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This movie should be made.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, it'd be so fun.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Trick Daddy.

[Dave Anthony]

Just. Just make the old guys so mad. Watch that bush league. We don't do that. Well, I just did it, motherfucker.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You can't bat with a tennis racket.

[Dave Anthony]

So he has one last chance, one last at bat to continue the hit streak. The Braves closer is Gene Garber, and Gene is an ornery type. He had just been traded from the Phillies, who could go on to win the World Series, to the Braves, who are fucking terrible. So he's bummed. Like, last year there was a guy who was on, I think, the Dodgers, and he got traded to the White Sox. The Dodgers go on to win the World Series. The White Sox are the historically worst. I think they had the worst record in the history of baseball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

So it's like that. Like, you're just bummed. You're fucking bummed. Now at least he'd have a chance to go against the former mvp. So this is like.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This is his World Series?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, it's one at bats. It's his World Series. Millions of people watching in the country, wherever you are, they cut into whatever TV show you're watching to show the at bat.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know, can we just say how it must have been really easy for Caroline right now? I mean, I think we're forgetting about how this probably just made her life a lot easier. They were watching the. Watching the philanderer who you've attached your existence to be treated as a hero. Every time he does his dumb sport.

[Dave Anthony]

Thing, they would cut in when he was also Carol.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We now go live to Pete Rose, who's about to finish on her tits. That got weird. Why?

[Dave Anthony]

I was talking about that making love, and you took it to a very dirty place.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me, sorry. How do you end coitus exactly?

[Dave Anthony]

Face.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're all aiming face.

[Dave Anthony]

This podcast is a disaster. We've lost so many lists.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's a Pete Rose episode.

[Dave Anthony]

That's true. Yeah. So it's cutting in. So there's millions and millions of people watching just to show this at bat, two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay?

[Dave Anthony]

And it's his World Series, it's the pitchers World Series like we said. Now the one thing he knows is he can't walk him because people would lose their fucking minds. Yeah, right, and they'd remember him forever. But he's a breaking ball pitcher, so he. So that means the ball moves a lot and is slower, right? Not just fast. I'm not trying to overpower guys, it's moving to trick him. Fastballs are the most likely to hit the strike zone. Garber's fastballs is least reliable pitch. So he's going to throw chunk, as it's called. He got Pete to a 2, 2 count with a change up. And then he does what nobody ever fucking does to Pete Rose, ever. He throws the exact same pitch twice in a row.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh dear.

[Dave Anthony]

And Pete can't help it, he swings too soon. And Garber jumps up and does a massive fist pump. He took out the mighty Pete Rose. He ended the streak.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

Now you'd think that someone who hustled and tried and worked as hard as Pete Rose, someone who ended an opponent's career at a meaningless exhibition game by just taking him out, would respect the duel that he just lost mano a mano. Sure, you took me on. You beat me, sure. No, he called the change up, quote a bastard pitch. He wanted. He wanted the fat, he wanted the easiest pitch to hit, he wanted fastball. Yeah, that's not how it works, bitch.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, and you lose. That's a. There, there is a lot of that where it's like, you cannot complain about how someone beat you. If you lost within the rules, what were you gonna do? You fuck. You lost.

[Dave Anthony]

He got, he got. That's what happens in your batter. The pitcher out thought you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Bastard pitch.

[Dave Anthony]

He said he hoped Garber pitched again the next night so not so he'd get a hit off him, but so he could smash a line drive directly back at Garber's head.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Doesn't matter, bro.

[Dave Anthony]

Lost Peter and his friends in the press made sure he was still the hero and Garber was the villain. Forty years later, Garber still has to defend why he tried to be good at baseball from fans who only heard Pete's side of the story. Quote, people don't let me forget it or go to slee sleep at night without remembering.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh God. It's. Well, like you're saying, it's just the. What sport does to us is. Is truly it's it's just baffling.

[Dave Anthony]

There's also. There's a. There's a level of entitlement also with some of these guys, which we saw play out in the NFL draft.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

There's a level of entitlement that some of these guys have that is crazy. Like, you're. You're. You're living in Pete Rose's world.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

He's not living in a world with a bunch of other people. So you're supposed to do the thing that helps him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Elon Musk disease.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. What do you mean? Nothing.

[Dave Anthony]

I just like the cars.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, yeah, yeah, he's.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, he's great. Cars.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What he's doing.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, man. Cars.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's going good.

[Dave Anthony]

And rockets.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He wore two hats today.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, like, cool.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's goofy.

[Dave Anthony]

But here's the thing that happened with this hitting streak. It brought his family back together.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

Because they had to reunite to go to the White House to meet Jimmy Carter, and he can't let the kids miss out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I bet I know what that sounded like. So we're very excited to have Pete Rose here today. They call it the Rose Garden, but I call it the Pete Rose Garden. Well, he's here today. The Pete Rose Garden. I understand he tried to have sex with someone from the White House press call while I was here with his family. That's Jimmy Carter.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, that's Jimmy Carter.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yes.

[Dave Anthony]

I thought it was like a.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

Effeminate.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

Woman from.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, it's a man from Tennessee. I'm the president. I'm soft spoken. I put solar panels on the White House. Jack, you, like, get. Hey, maybe if I had done a little bit more, you would not be living in a nightmare.

[Dave Anthony]

It's great to get inside Garrett's mind to know what he remembers about.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I know a lot about it. Ask me a question. Ask me a question.

[Dave Anthony]

What's his wife's name?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Rosalind.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that just happened. Allow me to take my. My out. That'll teach you.

[Dave Anthony]

No. No.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. So you thought you're smarter than me.

[Dave Anthony]

I know I'm smarter than you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No. What's my last name exactly? Bridget. Are you an idiot?

[Dave Anthony]

So he's not going to show up to the White House without the kids? Because that would be weird for, you know, visual reasons. And then on the trip, Carolyn and Pete reconcile.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way, I got a good feeling.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, this is gonna go.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I think it's a distance. I think this is gonna be okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Gonna be a 56.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's learned a lesson.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So he moves back home. He seems pretty happy. Sure seems pretty happy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They always are, Dave. Trust me. When they move back in, Dave, they're happy.

[Dave Anthony]

Here's the big problem, though. The Reds have a new team president. He is not like Pete Rose as a player, but more importantly, as a person.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's a piece of.

[Dave Anthony]

He thought Pete's gambling and womanizing and. And just general state of Pete were a distraction to the team. And the fact that Pete's play was starting to slightly decline made it worse. He thought Pete would still be at the top of his game if he was on the straight and narrow.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

And the timing of this. Well, Pete's contract is up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

So he wants to stay in Cincinnati where he lived his entire life. But he's like, if I have to go somewhere else to play baseball, get what I deserve, then I'll do it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

And now, Curt Flood. We talked about a previous episode. His thing has happened and players have won free agency right around this time. So he can sign with their team. He wants. Now that his contract's up and Pete is going to be one of the best players, best paid players in baseball. But he also wants to go to a team that's going to win the World Series.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

He turns down the Royals, which they. Part of the deal was to offer him a stake in the owner's oil fields.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God. She's disgusting. Oh, my God. Just. God. The Braves playing for the Royals to get oil.

[Dave Anthony]

The Braves offered him. Part of their offer was 100,000 a year pension for the rest of his life.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's a great offer.

[Dave Anthony]

He even turned down a Budweiser distributorship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A Budweiser?

[Dave Anthony]

And also racehorses. He turned on racehorses?

[Gareth Reynolds]

What about money? Anyone got money?

[Dave Anthony]

Well, he does. He joins the Philadelphia Phillies for less money because they're actual contenders. Okay, but he doesn't ask.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You get a bunch of go karts.

[Dave Anthony]

He doesn't ask Caroline.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

He just does it. Now she has to upper.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What is he supposed to do?

[Dave Anthony]

Talk it over with your wife so she.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, let me walk you through how that's gonna go.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay?

[Gareth Reynolds]

You be him, I'll be her.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. Hey, I'm probably gonna. Philadelphia looks like the place, I think.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, I'm comfortable here. It's all about me. See, that's why I don't tell her. You just go. That's why you. By the way, you put a little. You blow darter. Hey, blow darter. Let me. I'll explain it if you give me a minute and then she wakes up in Philly, it's fine.

[Dave Anthony]

It's not the fact that she second.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The second that you're open. Hold on.

[Dave Anthony]

It's not how she gets there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You don't know that.

[Dave Anthony]

It's living there. It's not like if she wakes up there, she's like, oh, great, that's.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You didn't let me finish. You create a neighborhood that is very much like the one she just left and she didn't ever know the difference. Why do you see me frustrated?

[Dave Anthony]

Thing that I've ever heard from.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This is how marriages should work.

[Dave Anthony]

What is he Sounds like you're making the Truman Show.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. But a great movie. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, it is a great movie.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There you go.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. So she just uproot her whole life. She. That's where she lived all of her. All of her life. She had three major concerns. One, if that Carol is going to be there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Two, hoping the other wives on the Phillies would like her.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And three, if Philadelphia had a Kmart.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Because there's great news about the third one.

[Dave Anthony]

Carolyn was known for being the only person in Cincinnati who would roll up to Kmart in a Rolls Royce.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God. Jesus Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

What's happening?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know. Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I drive my Hyundai to Dollar General.

[Dave Anthony]

Do Kmarts even exist anymore?

[Gareth Reynolds]

There's like a couple.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They're. They're, they're hanging on there. Yeah, barely. It's like a Chuck E. Cheese or a Blockbuster.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. At spring training, seven year old Little Pete Jr. Was wandering around the hotel room with his glove and ball. He's looking for someone to play with. Just wanted to find someone to play baseball with.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

And there's a college team from Massachusetts there. Tommy Giosa was a very nice, very nice kid. He thought, why don't I make this young. This young boy's afternoon?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

So they played for a few hours.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Few hours?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know. Well, let's just say some hours. And then when the bus is pulled in from the stadium, Pete Jimmer Jr grabs Tommy's hand and ran him up to his room to introduce him to his mom and dad.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's. I love the setup.

[Dave Anthony]

And all of a sudden, Tommy is standing face to face with his favorite baseball player, who he made. He modeled this whole game after Pete Rose.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

The guy, his hero.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I killed the second baseman.

[Dave Anthony]

I've been fucking. I've been fucking around just like you do.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's awesome.

[Dave Anthony]

I looked at. I went to the showers, I looked at old guy's dick.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, you're my Joe DiMaggio.

[Dave Anthony]

So Pete is genuinely moved by Tommy for paying attention to his son.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And they, I. I thought Pete was going to be threatened by him.

[Dave Anthony]

No, they. They struck up like an unlikely friendship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And Pete liked feeling young and Tommy likes being friends with Pete Rose. So pretty soon, Tommy's going with Pete and the Cuban on triple headers. We never learn more about the Cuban.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't want to.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't either.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. It's enough.

[Dave Anthony]

It's perfect.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The way he's like an apparition.

[Dave Anthony]

So horse racing, dog racing in highlight.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This guy was just like, I don't know.

[Dave Anthony]

Then Tommy was coming to Cincinnati to visit and hang out with Pete Jr. And Pete thought, hey, Tommy's. Tommy's a good time. Why doesn't he just stay here with us? Why doesn't he just stay? And while we're at it, why not get Tommy into the farm system of the Phillies? Just get them into the farm system.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

The baseball team. So Pete pulled some strings and got Tommy a spot as a minor leaguer for the Orioles. Orioles. O R I E L S. Not the. I think it's a. I think it's a Philly farm team.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, okay. Sure. So the Shitty Oriole.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Yeah. The shitty. Yeah. At home, Pete gives odd jobs to Tommy. A little work here and there and.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Put a bunch of holes in the.

[Dave Anthony]

Ceiling, like running bets to bookies.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Coordinating Pete's girls in the cities and each team he's playing in. And once sneaking out early in the morning and disposing of a newspaper with a front page story about Pete's baby mama, Terry, filing a paternity suit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What the fuck? Pete's thinking is so short sighted. The idea that you could just get rid of the paper, gets rid of the news. What?

[Dave Anthony]

Kind of like, it's so, like old cartoony.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Like if you, if that TV show.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Thing, if that not you, you need to be like, find every one of her friends and get rid of their papers, too. Just get rid of the papers. She won't know.

[Dave Anthony]

Gareth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Dave.

[Dave Anthony]

Summer. Summer's almost upon us.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Are you sure? You sound a little nervous.

[Dave Anthony]

And the people at Mint Mobile, they gotta take. They gotta take here, getting a summer bod is out and getting your savings bod is in. Huh?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right? Yes.

[Dave Anthony]

You get it?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yes.

[Dave Anthony]

So what we're saying is, what they're saying is, is that spring and summer, we want skimpy wireless bills and fat wallets.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know, I want the fattest wallet.

[Dave Anthony]

And this is this is how it happens. Premium wireless for just 15 bucks a month. So you get both. You don't have to break the bank. Boom.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that's right. You said it. You said it, sister.

[Dave Anthony]

I've been using Mint Mobile. It's great. I got data, I got the phone, I got the texting. All the stuff that I use for a mobile phone, I get with Mint Mobile. But I don't pay the crazy insane price. That doesn't make any sense.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It was a fee.

[Dave Anthony]

Why would I pay. I pay hundreds of dollars. It's. It's insane how much it costs. But now with Mint Mobile, I'm getting everything I need. I can use all the data for like my ways in my car and to get my music and everything. I want to watch my smells a bit minty.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Have we talked about that? The smell of the phone.

[Dave Anthony]

We're not supposed to. They've told us not to.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But I just think it's an important distinction to say that as far as you know, this has a minty smell. Go ahead.

[Dave Anthony]

So all the plans come with a high speed data and unlimited talk and text 5G network. You get to bring your own phone and just use it. Any Mint Mobile plan, Boom. You get your phone number, you're good to go. So no more no overpriced wireless. You get three months of premium wireless on mobile for 15 bucks a month this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking your bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium Wireless [e-mail] dollop that's mintmobile.com dollop Upfront payment of $40 for a 3 month 5 gigabyte plan required equivalent of 15amonth. A new customer offer for first 3 months only. Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra C. Mint Mobile for details.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Gareth. We're also brought to you by PXG Golf. Time is here to get new golf clubs. It's. This is the time to do it. And that means just one thing. You're going to head over to a local PXG store, get yourself a fitting. They make the best. The best golf clubs. They make the best clubs.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I had a session playing with them. It was really honestly, the guy who was helping me, a lovely chap named Brian, he was even like, wow, you're not too bad. And I was like, I'm actually terrible. There's something helpful to the equipment here. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

So you're. So are you saying that these golf clubs could make someone who's really.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know. I don't know. It could have just been. I just felt the power of the moment. But I think that's a lie. I think it was that the clubs were very helpful.

[Dave Anthony]

That's why they. They work with us because that's why.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They were so excited to work with me.

[Dave Anthony]

They make your golf game better. That's what we're saying. Golf game's going to improve with a sweet, sweet set of clubs. And you like Brian, right? Brian's very helpful gentleman.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Great guy. Great guy. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

The staff at the locations are fantastic. They're going to help you find the clubs you need, find the clothes you need. Find whenever you need.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, we switch clothes.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. That's weird.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We actually held the same club during a lightning storm and said, I wish I was you.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I think let's just. Okay. So schedule your fitting today and for a limited time, you can save up to 20% on your entire order. Head over to pxg.com dollars is this a show? That's. Yeah, that's. Pxg.com dollop to save up to 20% on your entire Order. Pxg.com dollOp restrictions apply. C site for details.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I've never been on a podcast before.

[Dave Anthony]

We are also brought to you by Ridge Wallets. That's what we're talking about. We're both using now. You've used a Ridge for a long time. I just started using it for two years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I've been on the Ridge train and I just got sick of. I just was not. Took some people being like, what is this? And when I started looking around, it was the most affordable and it was slick and got it. Love it. It's got like a little cushiony padding on the inside so that your stuff's not going to get mucked up. And it's got a little area on the outside for your cash if you're trying to play that game. But just doesn't take up much room. It's just really just.

[Dave Anthony]

You just slide your cards in. There's a little slide.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Same with the key. The keychain. I don't know if you call it a keychain. I call it a key slip.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. Much better than the previous large wallet thing I had, which was annoying. It had too much going on in it. Yeah. So the Ridge Wallet Ultra slim, very sleek, but yet spacious that you can fit stuff in.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

Holds up to 12 cards plus cash. If you're. If you're worried about having all your 12 cards.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And if you're over 12 cards, you got bigger fish to fry. What are you doing.

[Dave Anthony]

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[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you gonna say?

[Dave Anthony]

Please support our show and tell them our show sent you the dollar. That's who we are.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Puts a little money in our Ridge.

[Dave Anthony]

Let's put some wallet in our wall.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Stop.

[Dave Anthony]

Tommy was a very kind kid. He's not a very smart guy. Sometime in the past few months, Pete stopped paying Terry for their daughter.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Everybody knew that Morgan Rubio was Pete's daughter.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

But Pete seemed to think that he just didn't need to pay for her anymore because he just didn't want to do it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. So is that. Is it not kind of like if.

[Dave Anthony]

You don't want to, then you don't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm good.

[Dave Anthony]

You don't do it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

So he has nothing to do with his kid.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's a good dad.

[Dave Anthony]

But Terry is not the kind of lady who just takes it. Right? She's just.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

She's a fucking bookie's daughter. She's not gonna. So for once. Nice, Pete. Pete has to face consequences. And Terry went to the press saying, quote, when you have a strong hand, you play it to the hilt and you don't fold. A few weeks later, Terry went to the spring training hotel and approached a sunbathing Caroline and introduced her to her husband's illegitimate daughter. This is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's sexy.

[Dave Anthony]

This is how. This is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, this is the sort of thing too, where it's like. You know when you used to watch those, like with Jerry Springer, and it'd be like. It is the two. The two people who have no beef with each other, really have beef with the person in the middle and they fight each other.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like this is all Pete's fault.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Everything about. But they're just. Now it's like, all right, Carolyn, this is what you get for marrying a perfect man.

[Dave Anthony]

Caroline is shocked, mortified. Terry said she later felt bad, but she wanted to. Pete. No. Pete. To know how little she's gonna put up with.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And she was gonna ruin his life if he ruined hers. You know? Pete got the message and he settles very quickly after that. Nice. It was a Good try, Pete.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Samantha Stevenson successfully sued to allow female reporters into post game locker rooms so they could do their jobs just like men do. The big issue was that the athletes were naked and they were women. That's kind of the whole issue.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

After she won multiple players wives would physically try and prevent her from entering the locker rooms, blocking the entrances.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Can't see my husband's dick.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. That's for the women he's fornicating with behind my back.

[Dave Anthony]

For the 15 year old girl in Florida.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me.

[Dave Anthony]

Samantha was tapped by Playboy to write one of its prestigious interviews with Pete. So if you're, if you're, if any.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Playboy interview in the 70s with a man was pretty bad, but.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes, but they were like some of the biggest interview, like, oh, huge. A Playboy interview was like huge. Bob Dylan, Governor Jerry Brown, Muhammad Ali, like, huge. People do these things.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

So the person.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It also gave husbands the ability to say, I get it for the articles for a long time, 100%.

[Dave Anthony]

The person interviewed the month prior was Edward Teller, the father of the hydrogen bomb.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nice.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete. He's usually a step ahead of reporters or sways them in a way, but he's a little blindsided. Stevenson, quote, carolyn told us that she has called you on the road and not been able to find you. She said she presumes you were screwing around. She seems to make a joke out of it. It rose. Well, she would make a joke about it, but she'll take it. She won't say nothing. She knows what I like for her to stay to say and not to say.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Hey.

[Dave Anthony]

Anyway, this is why we have PR people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

You hear the gunshot of a PR person.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's clearly flustered. He did not expect this.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Even if you're flustered, you come up with a better answer. She shuts up and takes it.

[Dave Anthony]

She knows when to shut her goddamn mouth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Be like, oh, yeah, we tease each other. It's fun.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's very upset. He goes on to attack Stevenson for doing post game locker room interviews. Quote, tell me how does it feel to have all this staring in your face? Does it make you embarrassed? Do you like it? So that doesn't go. That's not a great interview for him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

Just.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a go to. Ugh. By the way, the idea that you're just like, we can't figure out how to not have our penises out. Unfortunately, we're gonna be unable to have women in here because our penises have to be out the whole time. What sort of weird shit is that?

[Dave Anthony]

Can I just say, I don't want to walk around with my dick out. Around.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just guy reporting. Oh my God, dude.

[Dave Anthony]

I want to their dick out all the time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I remember being the scarring that happened to me when I accidentally walked into the YMCA adult locker room.

[Dave Anthony]

Terrifying.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, it's just like. Honestly, I don't think I. Look, I don't know what it's like in. I just could tell you that the. The worst people on earth are the men in the men's locker room who want to walk around naked and do everything with their dick out. Like, the guy is like, I'm going to do some sit ups on the floor here with my out. And you're like, oh, cool.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, you can put on underwear before you go to do your hair.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, throw on a. Put on some shorts.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. So that, I mean, that's what we're talking about. Like they just want to walk around with their dicks. They want.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They felt like, yeah, they were. They didn't want women in there.

[Dave Anthony]

And that's. And that's a fucking silverback thing around. Like reporters who aren't athletes. Right. You want to walk up? Yeah. Although I do feel now I feel sorry for the athlete who has a little one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, I mean. Yeah, Well, I mean, he was probably chubbing up. There's definitely.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, yeah. I bet they work it a little bit before they come out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What is that like, though?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know. It's so weird.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's just penis culture. Locker room penis culture.

[Dave Anthony]

It's very weird. But, you know, this is a very competitive, masculine, hyper masculine sort of.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Anyway, DiMaggio, though.

[Dave Anthony]

DiMaggio. That guy had a. I mean, it was like a root cellar.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Looked like he was absolutely. Yeah, yeah. It is a shower for him and one for that anaconda.

[Dave Anthony]

So Pete's new mistress, Carol, the bartender with great ass, great assassin, Cincy, she's in Philly. And Carolyn knew because she saw Carol driving near the family home and a Porsche. It looked familiar. The reason why it looked familiar, their Porsche. It's Carolyn's car.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Interesting. So Pete has a thing.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete's really dumb. While. Even if you're the other woman, wouldn't you not want to drive the car?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Does she know? I bet she doesn't know, man. I bet she doesn't know. He's re. Gifting.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. While the Porsche was stopped at a light, Carolyn calmly approached the driver's side, opened the door.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know if it was A calm approach.

[Dave Anthony]

Like Grand Theft Auto.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know if it's a calm approach.

[Dave Anthony]

And punched the out of her husband's.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No longer a calm approach.

[Dave Anthony]

Right in the mouth. Just starts to punch her in the mouth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

Hot. No, it's hot. When the Phillies went on the next road trip, Carolyn packed up her things, taken Fawn and Pete Jr. And went back to Cincinnati.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

As soon as she got there, she called the lawyer and filed for divorce. Pete started playing better do it. Come on, divorce me. Like, divorce me 10 times.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Please.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm gonna be the batting champion.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Slept with your mom.

[Dave Anthony]

He hit an astounding.468 for the rest of the year. I've never heard of that. So. So what? That's. I don't know when this happened exactly. I don't know what part of the year, but 468 for 80. Shock for a month isn't like. That's insane.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Shocking.

[Dave Anthony]

Like, if you don't understand whatever 400 means you hit 4 out of 10 times. Right.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like, I think to be hitting almost 5. 50 of the time you're up is insane.

[Dave Anthony]

I think it's one or two guys that have hit over. 400. Like, no one's.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That means you're getting on base.

[Dave Anthony]

Just to be clear, Phillies won the World Series.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

The best. The team's best player, Mike. Shit. Credited Mike Schmidt. Credited Pete for his leadership.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete hit.400 in the NLCS. He got six hits in the World Series. He's a champion again. Third time champion.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. Yeah. I mean, that look on the field.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Great.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. On the field. Great. Three weeks after Carolyn filed for divorce, Pete got an invite to appear on NFL Today. Pregame show. Sure. Talk baseball. But this is an NFL show, and at the time, they had a guy on there every week called Jimmy the Greek, and he would handicap games. So he was like the guy in Vegas who did the betting stuff.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep. Yeah. He was one of the first guys who was like, this is my lock of the week.

[Dave Anthony]

So. So Jimmy the Greek is not there that week. So Pete is filling in. And Pete picks Buffalo to beat the Bears Falcons over Green Bay, New England, to beat Detroit. Host Brett Musburger is pleasantly surprised at Pete's expertise. Quote, where did you get all that stuff? And Pete smiled. I follow football pretty good. After Pete sat with the hosts in front of a wall of TVs with every single game on. It's magical, an unforgettable thing. Quote, a gambler's delight. 1983. 4242 years old.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

His play is diminishing, obviously. Sure, Phillies made the World Series again, but for the first time in his career, he watched from the dugout. Because he was benched. He couldn't hack into the big leagues. Also, his little buddy Tommy and Giosa could not hack it in the minors. Tommy, like Pete, too small. He tried hard. Pete said he played like he's, quote, pouring gasoline on himself while running through hell.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sorry, we're complimenting the gentleman.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, that's good. Like you're poor guy. If you're going through hell, you pour gas on yourself.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

And then you run.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Seems a little.

[Dave Anthony]

You run okay. But it's not the 60s now. It's the 80s. Things have changed. Non white people are playing for one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's tough.

[Dave Anthony]

So remember in the. Yeah. So it went from like, you had to be the best black player to play. And all the smaller roles are filled by white guys. And now more black guys are filled.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now you gotta be the best white guy to play.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, it's hard. Yeah, it's hard. Yeah. So all those little. So whatever. So there's more. There's more. Non white. A non athletic little white guy could no longer hack into the majors just on effort. And Tommy was cut. And he went back to Cincinnati, back to Pete's condo and his old job as the doorman of the bar where Carol used to waitress. But he's gonna get bigger after this. He's gonna get bigger and stronger.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Tommy is.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, sure. So the bartenders helped him out. Oh, bartender there pulled out a syringe and told Tommy to pull down his pants. The steroid results were almost immediate.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Instead of benching 135, he was up to 400.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Holy.

[Dave Anthony]

Can I just say, 135 is so little.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Fin.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's like mine.

[Dave Anthony]

The fin bench is like 200.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's like mine.

[Dave Anthony]

400 is crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

400 shocking.

[Dave Anthony]

400 crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Those roid numbers are really.

[Dave Anthony]

Back then, roids were like. Now you could kind of hide him a little bit. Yeah, but back then it was like people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. No, you had to be very careful. You couldn't. You had to try to make it gradual. You couldn't like three weeks later be like, yeah, I could lift a building.

[Dave Anthony]

So he feels invincible. He's hooked on steroids. He gets a real steroid dealer. A handsome man who would rip off his shirt just by flexing his muscles. Paul Jensen.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Maybe he should get a. But just. Just thinking logically. Maybe it go up a size. Yeah. No, I don't I mean, it's just. Do you need to.

[Dave Anthony]

I think you keep doing it until you don't have shirts.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. I don't know.

[Dave Anthony]

And then that. Then you're that guy. No shirt guy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Pete was only 10 hits shy of 4,000.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. And how many people. That's low.

[Dave Anthony]

I think two.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

At this time. 201 away from Ty Cobb's all time record of most hits in baseball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Another great guy.

[Dave Anthony]

He used to. He used to get 200 in a season, but now that might take years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

And who wanted to have a middle aged hitter who couldn't hit right? A first baseman, no range. Like the only team to offer him a contract was the Montreal Expos. But they mostly want his name. Not. Not sure play.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

Because you can. You could probably pay him enough that you can make up the salary and t insured sales.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

In 1983, the Cincinnati Reds were at their lowest point in 40 years. We talking Dick Wagner, the GM who drove Pete out, also drove out the rest of the team. They're losing so much that attendance has dropped to half what it was. And this really pissed off the chain smoking, used car salesman racist, part owner.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Marge Schott, friend of show.

[Dave Anthony]

I would love to do an episode about her, but how many times can you use the term n word?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, man, I would really. I think our audience and. And we would really love to hear it's always comfortable quote.

[Dave Anthony]

Marge had deep Cincinnati roots. Old German money, an undying love for large St Bernard dogs, a knack for being the loudest person in the room, and a penchant for saying all the wrong things. In Marge's parlance, Jewish people were sneaky Jew bastards. Asian people were Japs, black athletes were million dollar n words. And Dick Wagner was a buffoon, an idiot who deserved to be mocked in the public square. Oh, Christ, she was just the worst human being.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now she was she born into money. Yeah, yeah. See, this is what happened.

[Dave Anthony]

I know her husband. Her husband was part owner and then he died. And that's how she got what she got. So maybe she married into it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

She started running the Department of Education.

[Dave Anthony]

She hired a prop plane to fly over the stadium with images of the Big Red Machine greats, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan and Pete that said Tony, Pete, Joe, help. Love Marge the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Crazy to decide to pull that on your own team.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, she's part owner, so she all the control. She planned an I hate Dick Wagner night at the ballpark with a local radio host raising money from fans for Another skyward banner, this one reading, Pete Rose forever. Dick Wagner never.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, Jesus Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

So the rest of the ownership finally comes around and to the Pete. Well, they have a meeting and they decide we can't fire Dick. As her giant Saint Bernard was pissing on the floor. Saint Bernard's name was Shotzi. They decide to fire Dick Wagner.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And they brought in the old GM from the Big Red machine days and he knew how to fill seats, so.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So they're really. Her great plan is just like. Go back to what it was like. Yeah, to when do the exact same thing from before.

[Dave Anthony]

They're all old.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, they're old.

[Dave Anthony]

They need a Pedro. He can't play though, so he's not good enough to play.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

They kill two birds with one stone by getting rid of their old manager, too. Pete is about to be baseball's last player manager.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Dave Anthony]

The last middle aged man who could justify wearing a uniform in the dugout.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

So Pete's back in Cincinnati and he's coaching. He's coaching. He's a player manager.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Anthony]

He married Carol. He bought a big house, has another kid. He seems to be straightening out his life.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. I can't believe he's in charge of both. Yeah, no manager will play Pete Rose. That's why Pete will play Pete Rose.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, that's what it looks like from the outside, right? That he's putting it all together. But in reality, his gambling is getting way worse. It all came from the fact that he simply would not pay people when he didn't feel like paying them. It's the same thing he did with his illegitimate child.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wild, right?

[Dave Anthony]

He just is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like, when he's done, he's done.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm done.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

He owed tens of thousands of dollars to a guy and he just ignore him. Okay, what's he gonna do? He's Pete Rose. What's the guy gonna do?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Kill him?

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. He and Tommy would laugh it up at the condo playing catch with stacks of $10,000 he owed to bookies. That's fun. It's kind of fun. Rolling balls of cash at each other like grounders.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Rolling a ball of cat like a wadded ball.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Because of this, none of the local number runners would take his business anymore. Anymore. So what? Where does he go?

[Gareth Reynolds]

To Terry's?

[Dave Anthony]

The mob?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, good. Definitely. Who you? Yep. For sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete is in deep with a guy known as the Skin man from the Dayton Syndicate.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now. Well, hold on. No, Dave, because it depends. Why is he called the Skin Man?

[Dave Anthony]

I assume he has A lot of skin.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping he looks like the skinny 1000 pound sister where it's just. He's waiting for the surgery to have it all sort of off.

[Dave Anthony]

Or he's got, like a giant walk in freezer, and he opens it up and there's just all the skin of the people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that's. That's. I mean, again, it's hard to get specific, but you would start. If it is, like, other people's skin because of deaths, then that's a problem. Problem.

[Dave Anthony]

At this point, it's believed that Pete was just betting on football, basketball, horses, and obscure sports like highlight. But the skin man has evidence to the contrary. And when he showed up to Pete's house unannounced, he came to collect.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He just, like, flies in like a flying squirrel with all of his skin. The God skin man. That's right, Pete. I believe you owe me a little money, don't you?

[Dave Anthony]

What the. Is coming from the sky. But he's not just collecting money. The skin man's a smart guy. He knew that he could get something more from Pete. Yeah, quote, hey, remember when you made that bet on the reds back in 77? Skin man asked pretty much out of the blue, Pete, he's like, yeah. And he also. Okay, he agrees to pay him back by the end of spring training. So he's saying, like, I know you bet on baseball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I know he's a little bit like a Batman villain. The skin man.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, a little bit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Remember when you bet on those Games back in 77, Pete. Excuse me. I've got a little bit cash under this fold.

[Dave Anthony]

So what Pete knew was that skin mana brought that up for a reason. And he had. He had a device, and he was recording it. So as soon as he asked, I don't know where.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's hidden under all those folds.

[Dave Anthony]

So Pete now goes to Joe Cambra, who is a bookie with the Rhode island mob, who the Rhode island mob.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Is the saddest mob. Yo, what's up? Yeah, nobody does business in Rhode island unless they talk to us.

[Dave Anthony]

Don't make me take off my deck shoes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you gonna do, Go to Connecticut, probably. Well, no, don't. Hold on, wait.

[Dave Anthony]

That'll take, like, 10 minutes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Come on. We're like a sliver.

[Dave Anthony]

Come on.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Relax. With a Rhode island mob? Come on. It's just me and my buddy Tommy. Come on. Literally nothing happens in Rhode island without us knowing about it.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean nothing. Have a party or something is what I'M saying.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There you go. You want a party. It's just a lot of gossip. It's not great, to be honest with you. We're just kind of. The closest casino is like three hours, so we're just trying.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, yeah, Tommy got a boat.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that's. It's here. Yeah. It be gossiping. Ah, look, s. Tell you what. I got nothing.

[Dave Anthony]

Nothing. I was just going to. Hey, Providence. Oh, come on.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Rhode island mob is kind of that. That should go.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I gotta. You know, we gotta do tomorrow.

[Dave Anthony]

What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

We gotta take all that change I have and take it to that. The bank. See how much. How many dollar bills. That's gonna be a pretty petty don't with us. Yeah, you come. Hey, if you come to the Rhode island mob, you best win.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, we're gonna. We're gonna make you count change.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Otherwise you pay. They could just kind of. They could go around the States.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, God. I can't pay my rent.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, me either. Yeah, I'm renting. I'm renting all my furniture.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. I just wish my parents had made a move when I was younger. Terrible place. I don't know.

[Dave Anthony]

Jesus Christ.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Invest something, whatever. You know what I mean? Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

Holy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, I do still work at Baskin Robbins, but.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right, well, let's maybe meet up tomorrow. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, don't with me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Watch out. Watch out. He sleeps with the fishes.

[Dave Anthony]

All right. Right.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, it's really a pond. It's about 4:14.

[Dave Anthony]

Someone took my beach towel.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. All right. Tell Stacy I said hi.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Send my best. Did you say something?

[Dave Anthony]

No. Oh.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you gonna say? Nothing. Well, maybe we should kill a guy. Yeah. I don't even know.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right, I get you. Swear to God, I can't do this anymore.

[Dave Anthony]

So they go. He goes to the Rhode island mob.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Pete, it's an honor.

[Dave Anthony]

I could keep doing the camera. He was bringing a half million weekend on bets. So he didn't. He doesn't have to go after Pete for late payments because he's rolling in it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And Pete liked this arrangement. But the timing isn't great because right as they start their relationship, the Massachusetts State Police begin an undercover operation infiltrating the Rhode island mop. And Pete also, at this time, had someone cork his bat.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh.

[Dave Anthony]

So corking a bat makes the bat lighter. So. So bats are kind of heavy. So as you get older, they get harder to swing. And also it makes it pop. It makes the ball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There's a minimum weight. A bat has to be yes.

[Dave Anthony]

All right. And. And so the ball also bounces off a little bit because it's got a cork in the middle. So they have more control of the batter's box, more accuracy, easier to find the sweet spot on the bat. You can start your swing later, improve your timing. It just makes you a better hitter.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

So Pete was going to do whatever it takes to beat Ty Cobb's record.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

And this included working out like he never had. Tommy tells Pete, go to Gold's Gym. Mr. Ohio works out there. A former US Mr. USA runner up. Some. Some Cincinnati bagels work out there. You can get whatever you want there. Right. They got bench presses, tanning beds, aerobics, steroids, cocaine. All the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like the idea that he made. He just leans into tanning. Well, I've never seen Pete in this kind of color. Look at him.

[Dave Anthony]

Steroids and cocaine. Of course, the other things that turns out the. The owners of Golds are prolific cocaine dealers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

They would sell at the juice bar.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, I like it.

[Dave Anthony]

Can I get a. I guess I'll get a green machine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And I guess. Give me, like. Give me like, an eight ball.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. All right. No problem. Just give us a second here.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Doing roids just for tanning.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, so good.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's. I mean, I've never seen a guy stay in the bed this long.

[Dave Anthony]

Fucking huge.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's unbelievable. You got to see the color of Pete. Right? He is a dark burgundy. It's a crazy Pete. Looks like a Merlot. Pete is very oddly colored. Gone.

[Dave Anthony]

Burnt Pete.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's pretty bad, honestly.

[Dave Anthony]

So one of these owners had a connection in South Florida. He'd fly down. He'd fly down, make a deal, and fly back. And then a mule would drive the coke back to Ohio.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Tommy said Pete asked the owner, where'd you go with some money? And the owner, quote, cocaine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Pete asked how he and Tommy can make money off this. And the owner tells Pete to give him 100,000. He can turn it into 200,000 in two weeks. And Pete's face lights up, quote, really? You're kidding me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. I was very stupid.

[Dave Anthony]

Tommy later said he was, quote, roided out of my mind at the time. But I'm looking at him like, are you nuts?

[Gareth Reynolds]

So Tommy, who's put on over 200 pounds of muscle from steroids, he's like, hey, Pete.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. What are we doing?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Our decision making is a little off on this one.

[Dave Anthony]

By 1985, the owners were sending down $100,000 per shipment. And Tommy is one of the main mules driving it up. He said Pete was financing because he needed the profits to pay his gambling debts.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

So now he's doing cocaine. He's got deals to pay his gambling.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Tommy wanted to help. And of course, Tommy wanted to cut stamp. Steroids are rampant in the gym. Old ballplayers do not use steroids to bulk up. It helps them recover faster, gain lean muscle, shed fat. That comes when your body stops producing as much testosterone.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Now, there's no proof that Pete was using steroids, but some have speculated that based on his other proven cheating method of corking his bat and the ubiquity of steroids in the gym, he may have been trying to tip the scales more.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

Usually in baseball, when guys have a 40 plus spurt of production, it's steroids.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

And there's definitely guys that people like, they're amazing. And they like David Ortiz, I remember, like his last year. I think it was his last year. He just like, put the team on his back.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, right.

[Dave Anthony]

And won the World Series, like, almost on his own. And people are like, it's amazing. I'm like, yeah, I mean, it's fairly steroids when they.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There's so many of those guys in baseball.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, yeah. There's a ton. Like the, the Verlander is a guy that he just keeps pitching. He's pitching for the chest and you're just like, yeah, he's on steroids just to recover.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Right.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. I mean, allegedly. But yeah, when you, when you get old and you're still playing and you're putting in, like, good.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Right. You're.

[Dave Anthony]

You're on roids. Like, nobody's doing it. 40.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Did Pete physically change?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know if he did.

[Gareth Reynolds]

See, that's what I remember.

[Dave Anthony]

But again, for a lot of these older guys, it is about recovery. It's about Right. You know, Tommy met a new bookie for Pete at the gym. He's a massive cokehead named Ron Peters.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And Ron, get involved. When you meet a huge cokehead at the gym.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Give him the keys to the castle.

[Dave Anthony]

Absolutely.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Let this guy. This is who you want to be working with.

[Dave Anthony]

That's who knows how to get it done.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yes. If you're doing cokeheads, name a time a cokehead's lied.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, who, who does coke to party? Everybody.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Who does coke to go out on the boat? Everybody. Right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Who does coke go to the gym? A fucking guy who's committed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Some of my favorite workouts are from coke.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, my God.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, is There anything more exciting than to do coke and lift weights?

[Dave Anthony]

No, I mean, the only thing I would say is to do meth and hit a spin class.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it's awesome. That's great. So the class was over an hour and a half ago. You bite the person cycling next to you.

[Dave Anthony]

Ron told everyone Pete was betting with him and even put Pete on a speaker phone in front of his buddies.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So you're telling me that when you meet a cokehead at the gym and just start gambling with them with no vetting at all, it puts you in a bit of a compromise situation with your vice that is taking over your professional life.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, it's not.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it's interesting because I. I don't know.

[Dave Anthony]

It's almost like addicts make bad decisions.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There's a guy I. I've been hanging out with an Adderall head at Bally's. Yeah. And this. This guy, I've given him everything. He knows everything about me.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's got my Social Security, everything.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. I do Molly with a guy at 24 Hours Fitness.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, I love that.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I do. I do a lot of toad poison with a guy. Planet Fitness. You just meet these guys?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, they're great guys. So Pete's now reckless. He's now betting as much as $15,000 per day on college hoops in the NBA. Obscure college sports, man. If the Ocho had been around.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, they. The truth is that the deeper someone gets into a gambling problem, the more the sports just become obscure because you want to do it every moment of every day. So you start finding, like, it's ping pong, it's sumo.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, I truly believe that one of the reasons you're seeing all these change in sports is because, like, ESPN's getting into gambling. They're all getting into gambling. And one of the reasons ESPN is putting on the Ocho, which is right. I mean, have you seen it?

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

It's like the other day I watched, you know, the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The.

[Dave Anthony]

The basketball shooting game in bars.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, Papa shot.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. I watched the championship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What the.

[Dave Anthony]

It was crazy. But clearly three of them had never really done it that much. One guy was really good, but I was just, like, laughing. Me and Finn are watching, and I'm just like, this is crazy. And then I'm like, oh, it's because of degenerate gamblers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wouldn't it be a lot more fun? I mean, I know when I. Because I have, like, a betting league each year where you just get a thousand points for a few hundred dollars, it starts to dry. It really makes sports more interesting. That's why I'm like, I can't dabble with this.

[Dave Anthony]

And so if you have a bunch of guys at an OTB and there's that, they'll bet on that. Oh, you'll bet on it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Absolutely.

[Dave Anthony]

That's what the Ocho is for. Yeah, yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You got.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm gonna put a nine on a Frank on the cornhole. The cornhole championship.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, then you are sitting there just like o' Neill needs to hit a better shuttle car. His crush. Crazy. You're just like, I don't know anything.

[Dave Anthony]

You called out a troll, Bobby.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's not how you fence. Come on.

[Dave Anthony]

So. So yeah, he's betting a lot of money. 2000 here, 3000 there. 10 GS on a game he's trying to make.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No way this guy can hold a downward dog that long.

[Dave Anthony]

He's trying to make. Like you said, everything is interesting when you do that. So at the ballpark, his career is crescendoing. On September 11, 1985, Pete Rose broke Ty Cob' all time hit record with his 4,192nd hit at first base. The standing room only crowd gave him a nine minute standing ovation.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just sit down, would you?

[Dave Anthony]

It's too much for Pete. And he cracks. He's actually showing a little vulnerability for the first time in his life. And he starts to cry. And he's anxiously wiping away tears with his two glove finger over his nose. 50 year old Pete Jr. He's in the dugout, he doesn't know what to do. He'd never seen his dad like this. And a player pushes him out and goes, go. Get out there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Beat him up.

[Dave Anthony]

Get out with your dad. Kick your dad's ass.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Beat the. Out of your.

[Dave Anthony]

Tired of taking that spear tag.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Look how weak your dad is.

[Dave Anthony]

Put a shoulder into that guy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Come on. Good Lord.

[Dave Anthony]

And he runs to his father and Pete hugs his son tight and tells him he loves him. And Pete Jr. Went on to describe it, quote, I've never experienced that. My first father son moment.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. What just is he saying that sort of sentiment like he's.

[Dave Anthony]

I think so.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. He's like. It was amazing. It was the first time my dad was there for me and he did it because everyone was watching. It was perfect.

[Dave Anthony]

It was the first time in his 15 years he remembers his dad hugging him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What the.

[Dave Anthony]

Later that season, in the middle of a game, Pete got another player's son to tell him exactly when the Kentucky Derby was starting. So he the manager of the team could leave the game and watch. That's the end of part two.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Ah. I mean, Marge shot being like, at the helm of this, I have a person who's like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna go watch another sport because I'm gambling.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But it worked probably, right? I mean, it was like. As far as, like, attendance, it was probably helpful and.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ. Yeah. I think we really do. There is something. You know, the infallibility of sports is so interesting because it's the way that we know these people are actually pieces of shit, but if they can perform. I mean, the NFL does it all the time where it's just like, you know, there's no interest in there. It's not even hiring a high character individual, like, which is like, terminology they use. But it is just like, you just. It allows people to be such fucking assholes. Sports really, like, Ben Roethlisberger is like a rapist. He's a rapist. I mean, these are. DeSean Watson was given a huge contract after committing sexual misconduct, I guess would be the lightest term for it. I mean, and the reason that.

[Dave Anthony]

That Sanders wasn't drafted in the fifth round was because he was entitled. If he had been a sexual assaulter, like a guy who drafted way above him, it's fine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. No, absolutely. The line for it is purely financial, financially based. I mean, I remember when the Cowboys hired. I can't remember that dude's name, but he was like. He was. He was. If you see the. The crime scene photos.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, God.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Of what he did to his wife.

[Dave Anthony]

It's crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's. And. And that stuff still comes in. Ray Rice is not in the NFL because of what he did. It's because there was footage of what he did. The NFL knew what he did. They had the accounts. It was all there. And it wasn't until the footage got released that Ray Rice was cut from the NFL.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I mean, like we said you know, earlier, like, early on in this, the first episode, they found that umpires were gambling. There's no way they didn't have it on Rose. There's no way they didn't know when he was hanging out with Terry Rubio that he was involved in some sort of gambling shit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They knew they had to have known if. And it really is like it is on the consumer. This is the same thing with, like, politics. We expect the shitbags. The shitbags are gonna be the biggest shitbags, and they're gonna put whatever shitbags we allow to be the shitbags. As long as the thing is, we. You have to at some point have some line where you just go, yeah, you know what? I'm not going to do this.

[Dave Anthony]

You can. You can turn away from your team for a fucking year.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I did it.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The Deshaun Watson one was where I was like, fuck, Greg Hardy. That was the guy's name, who beat the shit out of his way. But, you know, I did it for a year where. And it was like, I really thought there were going to be more people who hit a break.

[Dave Anthony]

Nobody.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But they just don't. Every. Every year, some team cuts some player because he beat the shit out of his wife. He, you know, did whatever. So abusive in some manner, and some other team picks him up because that's allowed. If the NFL just took one season and just said, we're not going to allow people who physically abuse significant others there, that would. That would probably make it so that these people at least considered what they were doing a little bit. But when you create a world where they can do whatever the fuck they want, they will.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. I mean, the. The. The biggest. One of the biggest wide receivers. Oh, God. What's the name? The guy from Miami?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Tyreek Hill.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. He just got arrested for abusing domestic abuse.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right? Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

You know, they. They just keep. Keep doing it unless you tell them no or you don't vote with your wallet. You just don't turn on the fucking. You can not watch a game for a fucking.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, when you.

[Dave Anthony]

How's he gonna get rid of it?

[Gareth Reynolds]

When. When you really look back at the Rock Gothlisberger stuff, it was like.

[Dave Anthony]

It's crazy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It is absolutely insane. It's like he is at a bar.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like, having someone stand guard outside sexually assaulting a woman. And he's still playing the Netflix, about to do a Farve documentary. It comes out soon.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, shit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, yeah. And it's fucking. I mean, I don't have Netflix right now, but. Yeah. I mean, I already know a lot of it.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like, they're like, a lot of it is just, you know, it is. It's like. It's hard to confront it, but you have to just go like, yeah, you know what? This fucking dude who was my, like, gave me so much entertainment as a kid because he could throw a ball accurately. Guess what? He's actually not the best guy.

[Dave Anthony]

Ronaldo was. Ronaldo was accused of sexual assault, and I didn't even know when he came back on the Manchester United, I was like, hey, our guy's back. And someone was like, yeah, he's a rapist. I'm like, what? Like it was so like not a part of coverage here.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So you can't expect our society to start to balance out in any capacity if you have carve outs of for the people that we idolize doing the things we're supposed to vilify and letting them get away with it because the product is entertaining.

[Dave Anthony]

But there will be punishment for Pete Rose. Sources Charlie Hussle, the Rise and Fall of Pete Rose in the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith o' Brien Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose by Mark Monroe, the Hit King Pete Rose in Purgatory by Scott Raab, Baseballreverence.com and the research was done by Josh, Josh and Drowski.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Good work, Josh. Hey, boy. There you go.

[Dave Anthony]

All right.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hey, what's up there? Gear force and doll heads, this is Gareth. Listen, I'm gonna be on the road doing some stand up comedy and boy howdy, would I love for you to come see me. Go to garethreynolds.com for tickets and information. I just added shows. Batavia or Batavia, Illinois, May 22, May 23, May 24. Then I will be in Nashville on August 5. I will be in Lexington, Kentucky, August 6, Chattanooga, August 8, August 9. Then I will be in Fort Collins at the Comedy Fort August 22, August 23. Then to Sweet Bozeman, Montana, September 5, September 6. Then I'll be in Kansas City at the Comedy Club of Kansas September 26, September 27, October 4, Chicago, a couple shows. There's then Sunnyvale, November 6, November 7, November 8. Go to GarethReynolds.com for tickets and information. You are my gear force. You are doll heads. I love you Gareth reynolds dot com.