Alleged bet runners contradict him, saying he routinely bet on games over the phone.
By wire services
Published January 7, 2004
CINCINNATI - Pete Rose's contention that he never bet on Reds games from the clubhouse is being disputed by two reputed bet runners.
Former housemate Tommy Gioiosa said Tuesday that Rose is lying when he says in his latest autobiography that he never placed a bet from his office. Gioiosa said he did so routinely.
Paul Janszen, who also told authorities he ran bets for Rose, also said the hits king placed wagers from his office regularly.
"I wish he'd just come clean with everything," Gioiosa said in a telephone interview. "I just wonder if he ever will tell the whole story."
A day after excerpts from My Prison Without Bars were released, Rose's latest version of his gambling scandal and his sincerity were questioned.
Gioiosa said Rose would use information gleaned in phone calls with other managers to help decide which teams to bet on. Rose made his bets by phone from his clubhouse office, Gioiosa said.
Gioiosa, 45, was convicted in September 1989 of conspiring to distribute cocaine, conspiring to defraud the government and filing a false income tax return in 1987. He was also convicted of planning to transport cocaine from Florida to Cincinnati, a plot he says Rose was involved in as an investor.
Rose's admission that he bet on baseball came with two years left on his eligibility to go on the ballot for baseball's Hall of Fame. Commissioner Bud Selig hasn't indicated whether he plans to reinstate Rose, which would make him eligible for the Hall.
Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said Tuesday that no consideration is being given to changing the rules to extend Rose's eligibility.
A sampling of voters and members shows some have questions about his candidacy. Voting instructions say to consider integrity, sportsmanship and character.
One voter, Frank Luksa of the Dallas Morning News, knows what he'll do if Rose is reinstated.
"He gets a flat "No' from me," Luksa said. "I think he crossed the line from which there is no retreat."
