Wednesday, December 01, 1999

Rose still on attack

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Selig downplays lawyers' meeting

The Associated Press

Pete Rose at a New York press conference Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        NEW YORK — Pete Rose, back on the offensive in his bid to be reinstated by Major League Baseball, on Tuesday said that he had spent $1.5 million in assembling his case 10 years ago, and that it will include handwriting and fingerprint experts.

        On Monday, baseball's top lawyer, Robert DuPuy, said he had agreed to meet with Rose's lawyers in December or January to discuss Rose's application for reinstatement. “I don't know if it'll lead to anything,” Rose said. “But it can't hurt.”

        Commissioner Bud Selig, who has said he has not seen any reason to change baseball's position on Rose, described the meeting as more of a courtesy than a step toward reinstatement.

        “Mr.Rose's attorney has written me a letter. I read it very thoughtfully, very carefully, and turned it over to Mr.DuPuy. There's nothing more involved right now than that, nor should there be any more read into it,” Selig said.

        John Dowd, the lawyer who was hired by baseball to investigate Rose's gambling, said in his report that he obtained betting slips that handwriting and fingerprint analysis verified had been used by Rose. There are eight people in the Dowd report who said they had some knowledge of Rose betting on baseball.

        When Rose was asked if he would concede that he had bet on baseball, he said, “Forget about that.

        “I've been saying for 10 years that I didn't bet on baseball. Why am I going to change my mind now?”

        Rose said his lawyers would attack the evidence presented by Dowd.

        “If you believe his handwriting expert, why not believe mine?” Rose said. “If you believe his gambling expert, why not believe mine? Hold your breath and give my people a chance to speak.”

        He added that he would not accept an agreement in which he is allowed to go into the Hall of Fame but banned from baseball, because he would like to return to the sport.

        “I'm sorry for the mistakes I've made,” Rose said, adding, “I disagree with people who say I tarnished the game of baseball. Come on, I tarnished myself ... Do you think I wished this to happen? If it didn't, I'd probably have several million dollars in the bank and still be managing the Cincinnati Reds.”

        Rose spoke at a news conference organized by the new sportcut.com Web site, which has an online petition for Rose's reinstatement. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, site organizers said that at least 90,000 either signed the petition or said the ban should continue.

        Marc Roberts, chairman of the company that owns the Web site, dodged questions about how much Rose was being paid for promoting the site, alternately saying he didn't negotiate the deal, that he didn't know, that there was no agreement, and that talks were ongoing. He finally admitted he didn't want to disclose the amount and said he would do so only if Rose's business manager, Warren Greene, agreed.

        Greene, standing next to Roberts, said he was bound by a confidentiality agreement with Roberts' company.

        Rose: Pity poor substitute for solid proof Tim Sullivan column
        Sign Rose Hall of Fame petition at sportcut.com.
        Complete text of Dowd Report.
        Talk about Rose at Cincinnati.com
        ENQUIRER SPECIAL REPORT: ROSE IN EXILE.
        Reds continue Griffey talks

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