Enquirer news services

ST. MARYS, Ontario - Pete Rose was elated to hear he has been nominated for the baseball Hall of Fame - the one in Canada.

Rose, who played part of the 1984 season for Montreal and got his 4,000th career hit with the Expos, is under consideration for the Canadian shrine. Inductees will be announced Feb. 24.

"Regarding any sincere recognition of my accomplishments, I'm all for it," Rose said in a Canadian Hall of Fame release Friday.

Rose joined the Expos at the start of the 1984 season and batted .259 with 23 RBI in 95 games. He played first base and in the outfield.

While with Montreal, Rose got his 4,000th lifetime hit. In mid-August that season, he was traded to Cincinnati for Tom Lawless and became the Reds' manager.

"This is especially gratifying given that the 4,000th hit in Montreal came almost 20 years ago, and that the people in Canada still remember me and are considering honoring me," Rose said.

"I remember the 4,000th hit like it was yesterday. I slashed a double off of Jerry Koosman in Olympic Stadium on Friday the 13th, and we beat the Phillies 5-1."

A 16-member committee will begin evaluating the nominations of Rose and 45 others starting next week. The Canadian induction ceremony will be in June.

Rose, the career hits leader, agreed to a permanent ban from baseball in August 1989 following an investigation of his gambling. Because of the ban, he cannot appear on the ballot for the major league Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.