Special Assistant to the New York Yankees Ray Negron told Newsmax on Tuesday that former Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose was "an American hero."
Rose passed away last night in Las Vegas at the age of 83, leaving behind several on-field accomplishments that will likely never be broken.
Yet, Rose will also be remembered for his actions off the field. The all-time hit leader was banned from the sport for life in 1989 after it was discovered he had gambled on Major League Baseball games.
Negron only spoke highly of Rose and watching him play in his prime saying, "It was an incredible thrill to see a guy that I wanted to emulate."
Host Sharla McBride asked Negron his thoughts on Rose being banned from baseball, a move that cost him a place in the MLB Hall of Fame.
"Hey, we all do things in life that aren't right. I just always felt very bad for him because he always felt like he didn't get … he messed up. He knew it," Negron said emotionally during an appearance on "Wake Up America."
"And it was just a very a very sad thing. And every time I was by him, with him, that's all that came to my mind. And a guy that gave the game so much as a player and then to go out like that, it's very sad, very sad," Negron added.
When asked what Rose's legacy would be, Negron did not mince words stating, "He was the greatest of all time. He was 'Charlie Hustle.' He was the guy that made little kids go that extra yard when I was growing up. [Former New York Yankees baseball player] Mickey Mantle gave him the nickname 'Charlie Hustle' because of how he hustled, how he played, and it wasn't easy to impress Mickey Mantle."
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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