Play Hungry: The Making of a Baseball Player

by Pete Rose

A New York Times BestsellerThe inside story of how Pete Rose became one of the greatest and most controversial players in the history of baseball Pete Rose was a legend on the field. As baseball’s Hit King, he shattered records that were thought to be unbreakable. And during the 1970s, he was the leader of the Big Red Machine, the Cincinnati Reds team that dominated the game. But he’s also the greatest player who may never enter the Hall of Fame because of his lifetime ban from the sport. Perhaps no other ballplayer’s story is so representative of the triumphs and tragedies of our national pastime.  In Play Hungry, Rose tells us the story of how, through hard work and sheer will, he became one of the unlikeliest stars of the game. Guided by the dad he idolized, a local sports hero, Pete learned to play hard and always focus on winning. But even with his dad’s guidance, Pete was cut from his team as a teenager—he wasn’t a natural. Rose was determined, though, and never would be satisfied with anything less than success. His relentless hustle and headfirst style would help him overcome his limitations, leading him to one of the most exciting and brash careers in the history of the sport. Play Hungry is Pete Rose’s love letter to the game, and an unvarnished story of life on the diamond. One of the icons of a golden age in baseball, he describes just what it was like to hit (or try to hit) a Bob Gibson fastball or a Gaylord Perry spitball, what happened in that infamous collision at home plate during the 1970 All-Star Game, and what it felt like to topple Ty Cobb’s hit record. And he speaks to how he let down his fans, his teammates, and the memory of his dad when he gambled on baseball, breaking the rules of a sport that he loved more than anything else. Told with candor and wry humor—including tales he’s never told before—Rose’s memoir is his final word on the glories and controversies of his life, and, ultimately, a master class in how to succeed when the odds are stacked against you.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Autobiography

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2019

About the author

Peter Edward Rose Sr., nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds lineup known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the 1970s. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won his third World Series championship in 1980, and had a brief stint with the Montreal Expos. He managed the Reds from 1984 to 1989.

Reviews

[Robert II · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fragrance of Rose

I’m glad I sidestepped the first review. This book was a real eye-opener for me. Not knowing much about the man who I saw on the cereal box and television as a kid, I wanted to hear from Pete Rose. I’m not a baseball fan, but I have watched some games and been to the ballpark. What I come away with is the sense that this man lived for baseball. To this day he still comes off as passionate about the game. His insights are invaluable and I would recommend that anyone who lives in the realm of slapdash, haphazard and approximate effort (as a wise man once called it) to have a go at this book and compare yourself to Pete Rose. Ask yourself what you’re missing.

This book had me looking in the mirror about all kinds of stuff. My job, my role as a father and grandfather, my faith. I mean, Pete Rose was on a different level when it comes to the sheer drive to win and to play with excellence. What are we out there for? What are we doing anything for? Do we have that inner drive to win at something? Not that we have to be competing all the time, that’s not what I mean. This man was driven to an excellence that bordered on obsession or fanaticism.

People seem to want Pete Rose to apologize in a way that they will believe him. It will never happen to many peoples’ satisfaction. Why? Because everyone is looking for something different in an apology. Listen, Pete grew up wanting to play in the big leagues and no doubt wanted to make the MLB HOF. I can feel it in every word I read. But he was disqualified. That is a tragedy of epic proportions in sports history. I have been to Canton, but have no desire to go to Cooperstown. Why? Because Pete is not there. I can’t even imagine what he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning. Man alive.

I met Pete Rose in Vegas on business in 2018. I was walking to a class at MGM for a conference I was attending. He was behind a glass and I was like, “Wow, there is Pete Rose!” I think I even said it out loud. I bought a ball for my son who is a baseball fan got a signature and about a five minute conversation. I’m from KC and he knew our team and asked me about things I didn’t have answers for.

I come away from this book understanding what drove Pete Rose to become one of the greatest ball players who ever lived. He was raised to do his best, to give it his all, to prepare, to play hard, to stay focused, to pay attention to every last detail of the game. The man once ran to first base in a spring training game after drawing a walk. Who does that? He didn’t care what people said about his play. He was moving at a different level. He played like ever year was the final year of a contract. When the world continues to crush Rose because he broke the rules and bet on baseball, the fragrance that I keep smelling is win, compete, give it your all, don’t give up, do what ever it takes, but play to win!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete Rose describes his childhood in Cincinnati. His father encouraged his focus on sports over academics. Drafted after high school, he played in the "Bush Leagues" in the Cincinnati Reds' system. He caught the attention of coaches who promoted him past the minor leagues to the Reds. He briefly discusses his period of free agency and management. He regrets betting on baseball, but believes his punishment was greater than the crime. I was fortunate enough to live in Cincinnati where I watched him as a player-coach. I remember the night he set the record. Even in those years he and Johnny Bench were fun to watch. It's a mediocre book which doesn't spend enough time on his career in the majors and spends more time on the back story, but Reds and Rose fans may enjoy this.

[Carsen Drennen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Kyle Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Would make a great movie or TV show.

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete Rose IS baseball. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. A good read.

[Justin Engle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pete loves himself and this book makes it clear. Its has some great stories and is an easy read, but it doesn't have as much as you want.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 3 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: THE PROBLEM WITH SOMEONE WRITING MULTIPLE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES… IS… MUCH OF THE STORY DOESN’T CHANGE!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have personally read and wrote book reviews on well over seven-hundred books in the last decade and a half… and as such… I feel qualified to have established a number of **CARDINAL/DODGER-RULES-ON-BOOKS-I’VE-READ**. One such rule is that when an author writes multiple autobiographies… and starts once again at the beginning… each autobiography… is… and… literally has to be the same. And so this reviewer’s rule applies in spades here.

Additionally… you would think that Pete Rose after playing twenty-four years in the Big Leagues… and playing in more games (3,562)… and having more at bats (14,053) than any player in history… would have a hell of a lot more individual behind the scenes… by game… by at bat… behind closed doors… interesting… and tantalizing… detailed stories to tell. If you did think that… like I thought that… we’d both be wrong.

Before I continue discussing… what I feel was a sub-par performance… let me at least give a semi-positive… for some potential readers. Despite the numerous draw backs… the book (275 short pages… with many blank pages between “part” dividers… and the part dividers having nothing but a short title on it.)… is a very quick read… however…
Though any true baseball fan knows how much Rose hustled… and was a self-made ballplayer… when he tells you that… literally for the thousandth time… you have to say… enough… is enough. I will also state for the record… and I am not exaggerating here… But Pete Rose states he won the Rookie of the Year Award… more times than any person in the history of baseball literature. I want to repeat this… THROUGHOUT THE BOOK HE KEEPS TELLING YOU HE WON THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD! Another thing that is literally the core… the soul… the heart… of almost every page… is the impact on his life… and his undying love and admiration… for his late Father… Big Pete. Though… that too… seems over repeated… I would stop myself… as I was reading the book… and periodically… look myself in life’s mirror… and know that if I was famous enough to write an autobiography… I would almost assuredly place my Dad on the same pedestal.

Being that I’m an old-school-stat-freak… I believe the handling of the most important stat in the book was handled sloppily… and could have easily been managed better. What I’m referring to is Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record. When Ty Cobb retired… and on his original Hall of Fame plaque… it states he had 4,191 lifetime hits. Sometime decades after his retirement some archival work later changed the total to 4,189. Well in the middle of the book in the picture section… there’s a picture of Rose getting a hit with the caption “The moment I became the Hit King in 1985 topping Ty Cobb with my 4,192nd hit.” Then 130 plus pages later on page 249… it says… “I’d be in striking distance of Ty Cobb’s all-time record of 4,189 career hits.” There is absolutely no explanation to a potential reader on this important discrepancy within the book.

Perhaps the two chapters of the book that I enjoyed the most… was the one entitled “Frank and Vada”.. about how one of the all-time greatest… toughest players to ever lace on a pair of spikes… Frank Robinson… and smooth as silk Vada Pinson… took the rookie (Hey did Rose win the Rookie of the Year Award??? Just kidding!) Rose under their wings… and taught him what it meant… and how to become a real Major Leaguer. The other chapter I loved was when Pete went to Viet Nam on a goodwill tour with Joe DiMaggio. I have to admit… that with the hundreds upon hundreds of baseball books I’ve read my entire life… I never read anything complimentary about DiMaggio after his retirement… I was taken aback… when Pete said: “I was so glad they had me in the same group as Joe. We’d hear mortars going off all around us and rockets being fired out of helicopters, and I was so scared I didn’t even know how scared to be. But Joe never flinched. Once I saw Joe’s demeanor, how he treated the situation and how he treated the soldiers, my fear went away and I was actually happy. My philosophy was: if it’s good enough for Joe DiMaggio, it’s good enough for me. He was so polite, so humble, everywhere we went.”

Pete Rose was never known as a homerun hitter… and he certainly doesn’t hit one with this book.

[Mark Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete Rose was, without question, one of baseball’s best-known names during his quarter century in the Big Leagues as a player and manager. His autobiography is very much focused on his career; he begins with his childhood in Cincinnati, and ends, essentially, with the end of his managerial career. There are brief references to his personal life, including his son’s Major League debut, but very few details about his marriages, children, or various legal entanglements. As such, the book will likely be most appreciated by those who remember Rose’s days with the Big Red Machine and are interested in getting a sense of his thoughts on the game, rather than those who might be more interested in Rose as a human being. While not a great book, the occasional interesting insights are communicated in an easily readable fashion.

As one would expect from an autobiography, Rose paints himself in a flattering light. He continually emphasizes his competitiveness, work ethic, and hustle. Rose is proud of his career, including the fact that he holds the record for most career hits. Although he states at several points that his primary concern was helping his team win, and emphasizes his willingness to switch positions as needed to put the best team on the field, Rose’s ego is undeniably large; he writes at length about his desire to win personal awards, such as Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, and hints at multiple points that he would like to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rose is yet another baseball success story who had the advantage of an athletic father; “Big Pete” was a semi-professional football player into his early 40s, and was an inspiration to his son. The most touching and heartfelt section of the book is the preface, in which Pete expresses gratitude for all his father gave him. It is interesting to see how completely Pete dedicated himself to sports; he had to repeat a year of high school because he failed to pass his classes, and, as a result, played semi-pro baseball his senior year, having exhausted his high-school eligibility. Like many athletes, he was physically a late bloomer, getting much of his height and strength in his very late teens.

Rose addresses his lifetime ban from baseball, due to the bets he made on baseball during his career, at both the start and end of the book. On the one hand, he apologizes for doing something that he acknowledges was against the rules of baseball. On the other, he makes clear that he feels no real moral qualms over his actions; his claim is that he bet only on his own teams to win, and that his financial interests were therefore aligned with the competitive interests of his team. The same “sorry, not sorry” attitude shows up elsewhere in his accounts. When discussing his controversial collision with catcher Ray Fosse during the 1970 All-Star Game, Rose expresses remorse over the fact that Fosse was seriously injured — but defends his actions as those of a competitor giving the fans the game they deserved.

[John Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like baseball, you will love this book. This homegrown Cincinnati baseball star brings you right into the dugout, demonstrates the importance of father’s in developing the work ethics of many ball players, and illustrates the power of teammates to ball players performance. This cocky, hard-working player puts as much in this book – from his perspective – as he did when he ran to first base, even when he was walked. The stories of his love for “my dad” and how he went to Viet Nam just to spend time with Joe DiMaggio (although I could have done without hearing of the size of the slugger’s private parts!), and how he and his buddies hung out at a gay bar. If one is to believe the book as written, Rose had a terrific view of people – gay, straight, and people of color. As he spoke about his diverse friends, he brought a different perspective than the hard driven ball player who was willing to take out a catcher if he could score a run or steal a base.

As someone who grew up in Ohio during the years of the Big Red Machine, Rose’s stories brought me back to the excitement of those years. Rose added to the story with inside stories about his playmates and applauding previous managers for their work on building a competitive team. Repeatedly, Rose name dropped other big names, but name dropped in the best of ways.

This is one book that is better to listen to the book on tape rather than read it. It’s not a literary masterpiece but that is part of the charm of this grassroots hero. He is clear on who he is, a local boy who went right into baseball, worked hard to secure a spot on the team before his body even grew to adulthood, putting his full focus on the next play. He pointed out that he would take advantage of a player who had a hitting slump, aiming his ball to them since he knew most players would be replaying their last time at bat when in the outfield rather than keeping focus on the inning they were playing.

The love Pete had for his father was touching. I felt sorry for his mom since he rarely mentioned her but put his father on a pedestal that is rarely in anyone’s biography. This book is more than about baseball – although that would be enough. It’s about work ethic, focus, and teamwork.

Sadly, Rose was beyond guarded about his own life. He mentioned that he was getting married then never mentioned anything about his wife until he had a new wife, hardly anything about his kids except the one son who followed his footsteps, and only a paragraph about his gambling problem. This book would have been far more honest and revealing if this baseball hero, this good man would have been just a little more open about his own shortfalls that had to be painful but would have allowed more of us to learn about his full life. With so many racists, people with even bigger problems than gambling, and so much time passing, it’s time for Pete Rose to be welcomed into the Hall of Fame.

This is a book to listen to and enjoy.

[Wanda Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a big baseball fan today but I was back when the 'Big Red Machine' played and Pete Rose was a huge part of that. I remember my dad, either watching on tv or hovered over the radio, coveting every moment of every game. The Cincinnati Reds brought excitement to millions of people and the memories of those days linger on. Pete Rose brings many of those memories back to life in his book, 'Play Hungry'. This is the story of how Rose came to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. It tells of his great love for the game and how, though he wasn't the greatest athlete of all time, he could have been in the Hall of Fame simply because he truly was 'Charlie Hustle'. No one worked harder than Pete Rose when it came to the game of baseball. He studied every nuance of the game and learned from many of the greats such as Willie Mays. As I said, Rose could have been in the Hall of Fame but, of course, he isn't and may never be because he bet on the game that he loved more than life itself. He states in the book that he knows he was wrong to bet on baseball and I doubt that anyone disagrees that he is truly sorry. When you read this book and how Rose loved this game so much and how he worked so hard you kind of want to root for the Hall of Fame to make room for him. Then you wonder if Rose was sorry that he bet or was he sorry that he got caught. I'm guessing it was a little of both, but we all make mistakes and just maybe the fans of the 'Big Red Machine' should have something to say about the matter. This book is a must read for baseball fans because it has so many encounters with some of the greats of the game and takes you back to certain games that you may remember. It is also an inspirational book on how to succeed in life, regardless of what your goal may be. He even tells an interesting story of how he once gave Joe DiMaggio a shower. I will always remember how Rose ran to first base when he got a 'walk', how he dove head first into the bases, and how he always made time for his fans. There will be other great players but there will never be another Pete 'Charlie Hustle' Rose and that's a darn shame.

[Ken Heard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second best thing Pete Rose was known for was his drive and determination to be the best baseball player he could be. He hustled constantly, even running to first when drawing a walk. He played hard, ala the scrappy days of Ty Cobb.

He is best known, sadly, for his lifetime banishment from the sport for betting and for his block for being admitted into the Hall of Fame.

In his book, he briefly apologizes for his transgressions and suggests that maybe some day after he's long gone, he may be allowed into the Hall. He blames his betting on his father, saying he's very competitive and would never bet against his own team. Still, he bet on the sport, which is a huge no-no in baseball.

Play Hungry is written in various cliches and odd syntax. Any book that has exclamation points gets a point knocked off the five-star rating automatically and Pete uses them a lot. He also resorts to cliches when writing. Most of the book is about his early life and how he became Pete. A section on his days with the Big Red Machine may be the most attractive for readers who knew of him and it's decent reading for bringing back those memories.

He jumps quickly to his days with Philadelphia and then as a manager with the Reds. There's also brief chapters, as if done quickly to fill a page count, about his son's attempt into baseball and then his own opinion of today's game. He actually suggests doing a split season like minor leagues or that disastrous 1981 strike-shortened major league season as a way to draw more fans to the game. Egad. He says it gives fans of teams like, say San Diego or Baltimore, a chance to have a second chance after their teams become non-contenders in early July, for example.

This is a quick read and worth the time given to read it merely for the feel of the 1970s and 1980s baseball. But don't expect a lot of prose. I'd give it a 3.5 rating simply because I loved that baseball era and Rose was a big part of it.

[P.J. Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete Rose is a simple man who lived in a complex world. Like all good books about sports, Rose's narrative fills in the blanks on a history of his time. Whether giving Joe DiMaggio a shower at an anti-Communist Vietnamese training camp in the 60's, writing about baseball desegregating, or making some pretty astute analysis of baseball's modern decline, Rose has been no tourist in this world. His writing about playing in the Venezuelan Winter Leagues really brought home what filthy Communists have done to that once great nation. I begin to have real empathy for Venezuela, which had been lacking. Rose humanizes what he writes about because he is so relentlessly human himself.

What's missing from this book is Pete Rose, really. He never really reveals that much about himself, rhe two divorces, the paternity suit, the statutory rape accusation. His most genuine emotion is the anger and sorrow over his son being denied a fair chance at MLB because of his father's gambling problems, and over the death of his father.

As to that, unless they can prove Rose shaved points or bet against his team while he was managing, the ban from the Hall of Fame is B.S, absolutely. Rose probably had some electronic link to his bets, writing checks or some such, which just shows he did not have a criminal mentality about the whole thing, though neither did Jussie Smollet, by that logic, I suppose. Rose, however, lives as the exact opposite of the whining, Snowflake Culture of the current milieu. Brother just seems to have had a gambling problem.

Personal confession: I tried to slide head first into 3rd base when I played Farm Team, got burns all over my chest so painful I couldn't even cry, got tagged out as the 3rd base coaches laughed at my discomfort, and could hardly walk for three days.

Put him in the Hall already.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete Rose, also known as "Charlie Hustle", is baseball's all-time leader in hits, games, at bats, singles, and outs. He won three World Series championships and was the last manager to also play out in the field. He's probably the professional athlete who had accomplished the most per unit of physical talent. He was caught gambling on baseball while a manager and is banned from the game for life and excluded from the Hall of Fame.

There is much to be admired in Rose's grit and determination. He was truly a "competitors competitor". And I enjoyed his anecdotes and accounts of some huge moments in 1960s and 1970s baseball. I believe most fans of that era will find themselves at home in this book.

That said, I found that parts of this book verge on "too self-congratulatory". Besides lots of laudatory press quotes, it also bleeds through the pages Indirectly in the way he talks about himself and others.

Rose has a somewhat "simple minded" love for baseball and his father. Even more than being about his accomplishments, this book is about those two loves. The writing isn't great, but isn't all that bad either, given that he isn't a very learned man and had no ghost writer.

I believe Rose should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Though a complicated figure who broke major sports policy, he was an amazing player and has a genuinely fascinating story to tell. This book doesn't necessarily endear his character or personality to me, but it's a solid baseball book and though he is clearly a polarizing character, his work ethic is without peer and he is a role model in that regard, at least.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great to read. I didn't know alot about Pete Rose before reading this book. It had the back story on how he got to the majors. He makes it clear how hard it was just getting to the majors and how many other teams he had to play with before playing pro. I will never know what it was like playing back then but, this creates the clear picture on what it was like playing sports. It was also interesting that the players only had one year contracts every year so they would have to make a deal every year. He had to go through a lot more than players have to go through now. I never knew that players didn’t go into free agency and if they did they were villains. When today's players are praised when going to different teams. I found it interesting that sport was everything for people back then. I wish this book went more in depth about his major league life and winning his three world series. When he talked about the major leagues it was very fast and not too detailed. I thought this book was great and I found it to be very eye opening when learning about sport back in the day.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm making an effort to read more biographies of a variety of people, and also want to record at least one lesson worth learning from each one. From this: If you're doing everything in a way you believe to be right, then who cares what everyone else says! Rose RAN to first base on a walk, and while some called it a sign of hard work and hustle, many others thought he was a showboat or a "hot dog". He simply thought, "the sooner I get the first, the sooner I can get home". He had an attitude of consistency, and he gave no attention to his critics.

I hear and understand the arguments supporting keeping Pete Rose out of baseball and specifically the hall of fame, but I personally can't take that moral high ground. His style of play was so fun, and his work ethic was amazing! He has hitting records that are hard to imagine being topped, especially in the days of "go big or go home" baseball. I really enjoyed reading about his life in baseball, which truly represents a bygone era!

[Sharon Nale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a Cincinnati Reds fan since 1949 when I was 5 years old. I used to sit on the hard floor with a spiral notebook in hand for keeping score, and listen to the radio broadcast of the games with my older brother, Jim. We had no TV, and games were not televised then. Pete Rose tells his story, and it is fascinating to get into his mind and hear how he felt about what he was living through. The influence of his father is obvious. He tells many stories of his early years, and in the waning years of his career his determination to break Ty Cobb's all-time hit record, which he did in September of 1985. That record still stands today, and may for many years to come. I admired him for his hustle, of course. Who didn't love how he RAN to first base after being walked? His head-first slides? His longevity, consistency, and determination made him top on my chart of all-time baseball greats. It is shameful that he has not yet been included in the Hall of Fame. Any baseball fan will love this book.

[Allie Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, as a born-and-raised Cincinnatian, of course I love Pete Rose. (Do I also think he’s kind of…an idiot? Sure. But understandable and nothing too unique for the time period he was raised in if you ask me.) Anyway, it’s a fine book. I didn’t necessarily learn too much “new” information because I’ve been raised surrounded by “Rose Lore” my entire life, but it wasn’t uninteresting! My favorite part was his mentioning of a strip club I’ve been to (The Brass Ass LOLOL). Like I said, I think he’s kind of an idiot, and that’s why I believe everything he said here. In Cincinnati? We *know* this man. He was never subtle. He was never smart enough to be dishonest. Genuine guy with an insane amount of love for the game and a hard worker. I respect that! Not the best written memoir, but I enjoyed it. (And for what it’s worth, I do agree with him that if Giamatti hadn’t died the ban would’ve been lifted. I don’t personally find the betting on your team to WIN offensive or cheating in the slightest. Like he said, they’ve given second chances to players that have done far worse!)

[Robert Sparrenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this in the new section of the library and I’m so glad I did. I was really too young to watch Pete play baseball but if he played today I would have enjoyed his style. He played hard and then he played harder. He put the ball in play and didn’t strike out. If the shift were on, he would have laid down a bunt to that side.
It makes me sad that he screwed up and continually bet on baseball. He states that he always bet on Cincinnati to win but come on Pete. He deserves to be in the hall of fame. His records are his and he didn’t take steroids to achieve them. My guess is the veterans committee will admit him once he passes on.
He’s a blue collar kind of guy and he told some great stories throughout. I enjoyed reading his thoughts.

[Vincenzo Rascionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read very easily from cover to cover. I really love Pete Rose and this helped understand his personality and background more clearly. He clearly skipped over a lot of his personal struggles and focused only on his baseball career, so it felt a bit like an incomplete story. He also spent a total of 2 paragraphs on the part of his career that is unfortunately what many still know him for, the betting scandal. Most of the book was so raw and honest and gave that clear side of him so I did leave a bit longing for that same realness when it came to the decisions that upended his life.

That being said, still worth a read for fans of Rose, Cincinatti, or the Big Red Machine.

[Mark Jurgensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a life-long Cincinnati Reds fan who has cheered for Pete Rose from the time I was a little boy, I desperately wanted to give this book five stars. The only reason I'm giving it two (instead of one) is that despite the atrocious grammar and poor syntax, the braggadocio and self-congratulation, there are actually some interesting anecdotes and observations in the narrative. Pete has a story to tell and he would have been better served by his publisher (Penguin) had the text had been edited more carefully and had they perhaps used a ghost writer.

[Brenten Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING 3.03

I grew up respecting the game of "Charlie Hustle" but never really knew much about him. With this book, Rose offers a glimpse at the man behind the nickname and the game. It's neat in the sense that you can clearly understand how he got his work ethic and what drove him on his quest to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time. At times, it's like you're sitting in the dugout with him and he's bending your ear with tales from his life. That said, it's also repetitive at times and clearly tilted to shed a positive light on him.

Worth the read, I suppose.

[Jeff Alexy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really bad writing (it’s an autobiography — who would have guessed?). It read like he was just rambling. The pace was way off. There was nothing about his love life, but then he was suddenly getting married. I’m not a writer, but I could tell that there was something missing when it came to introducing people to the reader. It was a little hard to follow.

I wanted more about his gambling and his interactions with Fay Vincent. He breezed right past that and just said he was sorry and moved on.

But… I did enjoy the stories, which is why I checked it out from the library.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book. In the past few years I've read mild and banal memoirs from David Cone and Lou Piniella (of all people!) and it was so refreshing to read Pete Rose writing from the heart about his career, his father, his son, and his regrets about gambling. This book rings true on so many levels, and bolsters for me the no-brainer fact that this man ought to be in baseball's Hall of Fame.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pete Rose's latest autobiography was decent. I wanted to read about baseball's Hit King seeing that he's one of the greatest players to ever play the game, but his book basically highlights his career without going into any sort of depth. He shared a few funny stories from his life on the road as a player but not nearly enough if you ask me. It's almost like Rose threw this book together as quickly as possible. It could have been so much more.

[Michael Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up watching Pete Rose play baseball and at times emulating him in the midst of intense whiffle ball games at 62 Elm. He was grit, determination, hustle and intensity. I honestly don't know if there has been anyone to play since then who matches what he brought to the diamond. He is a hall of fame player, a better writer than I anticipated and a flawed man just like me. Thanks Pete!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine, then this light roll through Pete's life as told by him in little stories and observations is an ok read.

If you are not a fan of Rose and the Reds there is very little here to engage you.

Seemed a little heavy on his life before 1962 and then he flies through the next 2 decades of baseball.

[Jenna Apgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete Rose is an interesting character and you could tell how much he loves the sport, his father and his Uncle Buddy... and it seems not much else.
That being said, he deserves to be in the HOF because of all his accomplishments. There is no doubt that he played hard and that shows in his records.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete Rose was banned from baseball 2 months before I was born, but as a lifelong Reds fan, I kind of grew up on stories of Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine. This book was well written and it's interesting to hear the Pete Rose story in his own words. It's also nice to see that, even after all these years, Pete Rose is still passionate about the game of baseball.

[Niz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all Pete. All about Pete. He’s one of the greatest player of all time. Just ask Pete and Pete will tell you that Pete is. Surprisingly there is a bit of humility mixed in with all his braggadocio.

Of course, I expected nothing less from the greatest. I enjoyed this book and his story, not just from his eyes, but all those who watched him for so many years.

[Blake Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read and learn more about what made Pete Rose who he is. Intensely competitive and with no quit in his drive, he talks mostly about his youth and playing career and barely touches on the gambling controversy. Honestly I guess that would be a hard topic to tackle, but that's why I'm only giving it four stars.

Some really fun stories, especially about his years in the minor leagues.