Danielle Solzman
Charlie Hustle & The Matter Of Pete Rose is a four-part HBO-Max documentary series about the baseball hit king. Director Mark Monroe and company follow Rose starting in 2022 as he seeks to bid for reinstatement in Major League Baseball. Rose has been banned since then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti laid down the gauntlet in 1989 following the Dowd Report.
At the time of his 1989 ban, Rose’s name was going to appear on the BBWAA ballot for the Class of 1992. However, the National Baseball Hall of Fame made the decision to change their rules in 1991. As a result, no players on MLB’s permanently ineligible list would ever join the Hall. Since the Hall’s 1936 creation, another notable name missing is Shoeless Joe Jackson. He is forever ineligible from baseball due to his association with the Black Sox Scandal. He professed innocence for the rest of his life but publication of the trial transcripts sheds new light, including comments from his wife. But I digress.
Charlie Hustle takes audiences through a time machine that goes back over 60 years to when Rose first popped up on the scene. Signed in 1960 as an amateur free agent, Rose made his debut on April 8, 1963. By the time his playing career ended in 1986, he would own many records (hits, games played, plate appearances, at bats, singles, times on base). He joined Ty Cobb as the only players in MLB history with over 4000 career hits. Here is an idea of just how great Rose was during his playing career: Jay Jaffe’s JAWS system ranks Rose as the 5th best left fielder (79.5 career WAR | 44.9 7yr-peak WAR | 62.2 JAWS | 3.6 WAR/162).
Despite his accomplishments on the field, his off-field behavior would forever tarnish his reputation. Gambling in baseball is a major no-no. Despite MLB rules, he bet on baseball as both a player and player-manager. After years of denials, Rose finally came clean in 2004 when he wrote My Prison Without Bars. The publication would steal the spotlight from Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor after their election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Leave it up to Rose to steal the spotlight during one of baseball’s biggest days. Despite the baseball ban, Rose frequently signs autographs in Cooperstown during Hall of Fame weekend. Sure enough, you could find him signing this year, too.
Monroe dives into the archives, showing us highlights from Rose’s career, including World Series championships with both the Big Red Machine and the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. Filmmakers were on the ground for the 1980 club’s reunion at Citizens Bank Park in 2022. It didn’t go well for Rose and a number of interview subjects opted against participating in the film. A number of teammates, family, friends, broadcasters, and journalists appear in the doc. They discuss Rose’s rise and fall and whether or not he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. One teammate that does not appear in the documentary is teammate Johnny Bench. Bench’s only appearance is an archival clip discussing Rose and the Hall. Make of this what you will.
Charlie Hustle & The Matter Of Pete Rose arrives on the scene shortly after the March 2024 publication of Keith O’Brien’s new book, which is being hailed as the definitive biography of Rose, Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball. Everyone has their opinion on Pete Rose and whether he belongs in Cooperstown but Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose is almost certainly not going to change anybody’s mind. If an induction does come down the line, it won’t be until after his death.
DIRECTOR: Mark Monroe
FEATURING: Pete Rose, Pete Rose Jr., Mike Schmidt, Ken Griffey Sr., Tommy Helms, Eduardo Perez, Ron Cey, Al Michaels, Lesley Visser, Marty Brennaman, Jon Miller, Chad Lowe, Larry Keith, Ted Keith, C. Trent Rosecrans, Jay Jaffe
Charlie Hustle & The Matter Of Pete Rose will premiere its first two episodes July 24 (9-11 PM ET/PT) on HBO. Episodes 3-4 will debut Thursday, July 25 at the same time. All four episodes will be available to stream July 24 on Max. Grade: 3.5/5
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