My Time With Pete Rose

Everyone had specific assignments. My assignment was simple.

I’d made photos of MLB many times but wasn’t on the regular rotation to cover Cleveland or Cincinnati baseball. The AP had photographers in both cities, and they covered the regular season. I was in Columbus.

When Rose broke the Major League hitting record in 1985, everybody, including me, was on deck.

There were only three subjects I had to worry about.

Marge Schott, Pete’s reaction, and the pitcher.

My angle on Marge was from the field below her first base box seat. It was too steep, and most of what I shot was looking up her nose, which was not flattering.

Pitcher Eric Snow’s reaction after the hit was simple. He sat down and just looked around.

And, then, Pete. It took a while for the field to clear of everyone congratulating him. Finally, he stood alone at first, the crowd cheering, and put his hand to his face, appearing to wipe away tears.

An uncropped version of this photo is on the rear cover of his book, “My Prison Without Bars.”

That was the last time I saw Rose.

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