Why I'm Glad I Live In Amarillo!

The Amarillo YMCA hit rock bottom in choosing Pete Rose as the fund raising lure for the youth baseball program. Why not John Poindexter? Why not Oliver North? Why not G. Gordon Liddy? Or, in a year or two: Kobe Bryant? Or, Dave Bliss? There is no end to the list of role models for Amarillo's youth. However, Pete Rose is special. He is a thug. He is a reprobate. He is a gambling addict. He is a liar. He bet on baseball. He bet on the Cincinnati Reds while he was the manager of that team. He trafficked in steroids. He continues to consort with known gamblers. When Joe (Shoeless Joe) Jackson — greater player than Pete Rose — is denied a place in baseball's Hall of Fame, let Pete Rose wander the countryside pleading his case. To avoid prosecution, Rose accepted lifetime banishment from Major League Baseball. Note: Rose accepted the penalty handed down by A. Bartlet Giamatti — Commissioner of Baseball (after retiring as the president of Yale University). And, the Amarillo YMCA wonders why only 100 Amarilloans were willing to cough up $100 to see this poor speciman of humanity? I am proud of Amarillo! I didn't think there was that much character left. I am certain that the misguided sponsors thought that gazillions would turn out to hear Pete Rose moan about the injustice done him. The shame is that the fools at the YMCA coughed up $25,000 to bring this bum to Amarillo. If only Amarilloans had as much sense about W. If this be (fair & balanced) treason, make the most of it.

[x Amarillo Globe-News]

Poor turnout for Rose event disappoints sponsors

By John Kaltefleiter


When 8 p.m. came, Kirk Crutcher's optimism turned to disappointment.

Crutcher, who was the point man for the YMCA's first annual All-Star Sports Festival fund-raiser, featuring Pete Rose as its special guest, was left searching for answers following the low turnout for Saturday night's event in the Civic Center Coliseum.

He wasn't the only one.

Fewer than 100 people - mostly YMCA volunteers - were in attendance for the two-hour spectacle that featured a Rose autograph session, two auctions and a 45-minute question-and-answer session.

"I don't know if I can attribute that to any one thing," said Crutcher, who confirmed that the YMCA paid Rose $25,000 for his appearance. "The Polk Street Block Party was going on (Saturday night), and the Dillas were in town. Like any event, we'll get all the numbers next week, evaluate them and go from there. We would like to make this an annual event."

Doug Scheve, who brought his young son Bret to Saturday night's proceedings, also was surprised by the poor attendance.

"When we were standing and waiting to get in, I looked at Bret and said, 'Where's everybody at?'," said Scheve, an avid Kansas City Royals fan who named his son after Bret Saberhagen and George Brett. "I would've expected a lot more people here than this."

Scheve said he has no regrets about bringing his son to meet Rose, getting an autograph and posing for a photo with the all-time hits leader.

"The only thing I have against Pete Rose is that his Phillies beat Kansas City in the (1980) World Series," quipped Scheve. "I don't consider him controversial, myself. There's a lot of things hanging around him, but to me he's the greatest player to play the game. With the opportunity to see him, I wasn't about to pass it up, especially for my son."

Scheve thinks Rose should be reinstated by Major League Baseball and elected to the Hall of Fame.

"It's a travesty that he's not," Scheve said. "There's guys in there now that have done much worse than he did. From a publicity standpoint, I don't see how they can't reinstate him. Sooner or later the pressure to do that is going to be too much."

Phyllis Payne, manager of Amarillo's Ambassador Hotel, among 15 primary sponsors of the event, said she was drawn to meet Rose because of his legendary status. She also was amazed at the small crowd.

"I'm a sports fan, and Pete Rose is such a legend," Payne said. "With all the controversy, it makes him even more alluring. His drive and the way he played with so much passion, I enjoyed that.

"He's just like many other sports figures," she said. "We always want to think that they're icons and indestructible and larger than life. But the fact is that they're human just like all of us. He's shown us that he's human. That's one of the reasons that I appreciate him. There's some sympathy there."

Actually, Rose had some trouble getting here. A private plane was sent from Amarillo to pick him up in Los Angeles, but the aircraft developed mechanical problems and was forced to land in Albuquerque, N.M. Rose then boarded a commercial flight and was eight minutes late to Saturday afternoon's scheduled news conference at Amarillo National Dilla Villa.

Rose fielded questions from a crowd of about 200 at the Villa, then conducted an hour-long skills clinic for about 60 area children.

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