Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time hits leader, has begun hosting a sports betting podcast entitled “Pete Rose’s Daily Picks,’’ even though he still has hopes that his lifetime gambling ban from baseball will be overturned.
Starting with the debut episode this past Thursday, Rose offered betting tips alongside industry broadcaster Ben Wilson. He told viewers to take the Rams (-2.5) over the Seahawks (turning out to be true) and the Tampa Bay Rays money line against Boston in Game 1 of the NLDS (-150, also turning out to be true).
"I know how it looks, and people will criticize,'' Rose, 80, told USA Today . "But it's not gambling. It's handicapping. I'm a handicapper...That's all. That goes on everywhere. All I'm doing is lending my expertise to people who want to bet.''
In 1989, Rose was permanently barred from baseball for betting on games as the Cincinnati Reds manager. After denying his actions for 15 years, he admitted in 2004 to gambling on his Reds teams – but only to win. Since then, MLB has struck deals with betting companies such as DraftKings , FanDuel , TheScore and BetMGM , a curious juxtaposition according to Rose.
MLB has a long history of opposing player-gambling. Also this week, a 1911 autographed picture of “Shoeless’’ Joe Jackson – banned for life due to his supposed role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal – sold at an on-line auction for $1.47 million , the highest figure ever doled out for a sports photo. Observers say their scandals are what make Jackson and now Rose, both ineligible for the Hall of Fame, higher-profile.
"It's a show featuring my picks and breakdowns of games, not just baseball," said Rose, whose podcast will air six-days-a- week anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. "I'll be talking football, basketball, horse racing, golf and a lot of more."
