THE HUSTLE

Author

Matthew Garringer
November 28, 2023

Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The daily newsletter that loves baseball as much as Mark Grant loved impersonating umpires.

Today’s story is part one of a three-part series about Pete Rose and the scandal that has haunted him for decades.

Pete Rose aka “The Hit King” is an undisputed baseball icon.

He won three World Series, three batting titles, had 17 all-star appearances, and holds the record for the most hits in MLB history.

Still, he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

Scratch that, he’s ironically in the WWE Hall of Fame for this gem of a performance.

Most of us think we know this story, but there’s a lot you probably don’t know.

As a kid, Pete Rose was never a standout player.

His own high school coach said he was the third best player on the team, but he was absolutely obsessed with the game.

According to Pete, he doesn’t remember ever reading a single book other than the MLB Rule Book.

Even with all that passion, he would’ve never made it to the big leagues without his uncle, Buddy Bloebaum.

When Rose inked his first pro contract, he was a fifth-year high school senior playing in a men’s league.

Buddy convinced the Reds to sign his nephew even though another scout in the organization had already seen him play.

The scouting report said “he can’t run, hit, or throw - all he can do is hustle.”

He signed for $7,000 and a $5K bonus if he ever got to the show.

Over the next three years, he gained 50 lbs in the minor leagues and made it to the MLB by ‘63.

Pete quickly made a name for himself by winning Rookie of the Year in his first season and the rest is pretty much history.

Fast forward to ‘77 - he was one of the most famous athletes on Earth.

Tommy Gioiosa, on the other hand, was a nobody.

He played ball at Massasoit Community College in MA - just a young kid with no money, a passion for baseball, and a dream to play in the big leagues.

Gioiosa was staying at the same hotel as Rose and his family when they met.

The next year they saw each other again at the same hotel and struck up a friendship.

In ‘79, Pete invited Tommy to stay at his home in Cincy.

For Gioiosa, it was a dream come true - he loved Pete Rose so much, that he took a piece of his lawn during the visit to remember when he got home.

At the end of the visit, Rose asked Gioiosa if he wanted to stay long term - which was an easy “yes” for Tommy.

Gioiosa idolized Pete like a God, and pretty much did whatever Rose asked of him from then on.

Over the next decade, the relationship between the two evolved immensely and laid the foundation for Pete Rose’s permanent ban from baseball.

WIN A BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHED BY THE HIT KING

Tonight we’ve got something special for ya.

Over the next couple of days while we’re running this email series, you’ll have a chance to win a ball signed by the man himself, Charlie Hustle.

To qualify, all you have to do is subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter.

It’s written by my friend Tyler O’Shea, and if you like Dead Legends, you’ll definitely enjoy the stories he puts out every week.

The winner of this Pete Rose autographed baseball will be announced in The Underdog’s upcoming email this Sunday.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

Find the answer in the bottom of this email!

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Clarence Westly Marshall, aka “Cuddles”, earned himself one of the softest nicknames in baseball history.

Apparently, the origin of the nickname came from his reputation as the “the most handsome pitcher” on the Yankees staff.

According to his teammates, all the girls wanted to “cuddle” Marshall, and so a new identity was born.

Marshall was a baller at a young age, he played some semi-pro ball while still in high school.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that great once he got to the big leagues, but he still won a World Series with the Yankees in '49.

He didn't actually appear in the series, but who cares, the man still got a ring!

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

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BASEBALL TRIVIA ANSWER: Bill Mueller