Baseball Investigates Pete Rose : Inquiry Apparently Centers On Alleged Gambling Activities

An investigation by the commissioner’s office into the alleged gambling activities of Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose centers on some of Rose’s associations and the amount of money being bet, a source told The Times Monday night.

The source, a baseball official with close ties to Rose and Cincinnati, said Rose has “major problems” and could be suspended before his team opens the 1989 season against the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium April 3.

“The primary concern is with some of the people Pete has been associating with, and the amount of money being bet,” the official said. “I understand Pete has been selling off some of his memorabilia to help defray debts.”

A statement issued Monday by commissioner Peter Ueberroth and commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti, the National League president, confirmed speculation regarding an ongoing investigation of Rose’s alleged gambling activities.

“The office of the commissioner, which was founded to preserve the integrity of the game, has for several months been conducting a full inquiry into serious allegations involving Mr. Pete Rose,” the statement read.

“When the commissioner’s office has completed its inquiry, the commissioner will consider the information presented and take whatever action is warranted by the facts consistent with the rules and procedures of major league baseball,” the statement concluded.

Confronted by reporters at the Reds’ training complex in Plant City Fla., Rose said he was aware of the statement but answered almost all other questions with “no comment.”

“If something happens, when it happens, I’ll talk about it then,” Rose said.

Asked if he will be with the team when it plays the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Petersburg, Fla., today, Rose said: “Where else am I going? I have one of the best jobs in the world.”

The speculation concerning Rose has been rampant since Feb. 20, when he left Plant City to meet with Ueberroth, Giamatti and legal representatives in New York.

It was not until Monday, however, that baseball confirmed the investigation, issuing the statement that one source told the Associated Press was merely a “prelude to what’s going to happen in the next couple of days.”

John M. Dowd, a trial lawyer with the Washington firm of Heron, Burchette, Ruckert & Rothwell, is leading the investigation as special counsel to the commissioner, a spokesman for Ueberroth’s office said.

Dowd, who from 1972 through 1978 headed a Justice Department task force that investigated, among others, the FBI and Pennsylvania Congressman Dan Flood, said Monday night that he has been investigating Rose for about a month. He could not predict when he would have the report ready and refused additional comment.

Sports Illustrated is expected to report in its next edition that Rose has incurred large gambling debts and has close ties to several bookies in the Cincinnati area.

Baseball rules prohibit employees of the sport from betting on baseball, but they are allowed to make legal bets at race tracks.

Rose, a fan of almost all sports, has said he never bets on baseball or basketball but has been a part-owner of thoroughbreds and has bet on horses and dogs when his schedule permits him to go to the track.

He has denied reports that he was among a group that shared winning pick-six tickets worth $265,669.20 at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., Jan. 25.

Arnold Metz, admittedly a friend of Rose, reportedly signed for the winning tickets.

Red General Manager Murray Cook said Monday he was not aware of any details of the current investigation. He said he had not spoken with Rose about it and that the club was not involved in it.

“Obviously, it’s a personal thing,” Cook said. “It’s up to the commissioner.

“I don’t have any problems with that at all. I have confidence in the commissioner and his people that they’re not handling whatever this is capriciously.”

Asked if he was concerned that Rose, suspended for 30 days by Giamatti April 30 after a shoving incident with umpire Dave Pallone, would be suspended again, Cook said:

“I have no comment on that. How can I make a comment if I don’t know what the issue is to start with.”

If true, Cook seems to be alone in that.

The baseball source said Rose’s betting activities, believed to include pro and college football as well as horse and dog racing, had become a concern throughout the sport, primarily because of the type people it had put him in contact with.

Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were suspended from the game by then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn strictly on the basis of public relations associations with Atlantic City casinos. Mays was suspended Oct. 27, 1979, and Mantle Feb. 8, 1983.

Ueberroth reversed those decisions and reinstated both March 18, 1985.