With Spring Training baseball games having started this weekend, one’s mind naturally turns to the National Pastime and childhood memories. My young baseball memories center around the Cincinnati Reds, and during that time I had several encounters with Pete Rose. In addition to watching him play baseball on television and in person, there were a few times where my friend David and I went to a spot in the Riverfront Stadium parking lot where we knew Rose would emerge after the game. He would always stop and sign autographs for us two kids, exchanging a few brief words about the game with us. On another occasion, I got his autograph when he and some other members of the Big Red Machine played a charity basketball game at a local college. Remembering how much fun we had getting those autographs makes me see some tragedy in the fact that Rose now makes much of his money signing autographs, including selling online memorabilia such as baseballs that say in Rose’s handwriting, “I’m Sorry I Bet on Baseball.”
I provide that background to show my bias in enjoying 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King (2010), which covers Rose’s baseball playing career with no mention of his banishment from baseball. I imagine the filmmakers wondering, “How can we make a film about Pete Rose without discussing his gambling?” And then one came up with the idea: “We’ll call it ‘4192’ and just cover his entire career up to his hit that broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record. We won’t even miss out on that much by not covering up to his final hit of 4256.” So, the movie avoids Rose’s gambling demons, with the only time betting being discussed is when Rose and teammate Tony Perez tell a story about betting on which one would be the first to use the bathroom in the new Riverfront stadium (Rose won).
So, the film is not a complete portrayal of Pete Rose or his career, and I concede that you cannot fully understand the man unless you see how his drive and determination drove him to dark corners as well as to great heights. But if you love baseball, you still might enjoy the documentary love letter to the sport and Peter Edward Rose’s playing career. No matter what you think of Rose, he always loved baseball and his enjoyment of the game comes through as he tells stories about his playing days, including how he came to be called “Charlie Hustle.” The tales are often funny and sprinkled with baseball stories about many greats, including Mickey Mantle, Enos Slaughter, and other players who played in Rose’s era.
The movie includes interviews with other players, but everything is one-sided by using players who are friends with Rose, such as Mike Schmidt and my favorite Red, Tony Perez. There are no interviews with players like Johnny Bench who are not close to Rose. And when the film discusses Rose’s confrontations with other players on the field, there are no voices from those other players. There are occasional unintended insights into the man, such as his story about his father refusing to stop to eat if the child Rose’s team lost. But for the most part, we only get Rose’s side of stories like his collision with Ray Fosse at home plate in the 1970 All-Star Game.
Perhaps because I have read several books that lay out the other side of the story, I was not unhappy to just relive the great moments on the field with some funny stories from Pete Rose and others along the way. If you are looking for a walk down memory lane in between the foul lines — and you do not care that this one movie does not delve deep into the troubled soul of the man — you might enjoy this one. Then you should just grab a hot dog and a beer and watch 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King, which is available now for instant streaming on Netflix and on Hulu.
Do you think it is appropriate to make a movie about Pete Rose and not address his gambling? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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