Judge Criticized Over Rose Probe Drops Bookie Case

The federal judge who came under fire for criticizing baseball’s investigation of Pete Rose has removed himself from sentencing an Ohio bookmaker who claims he took bets from Rose.

U.S. District Judge Carl B. Rubin sent a one-line order to the court clerk taking himself off the case of Ronald Peters, who has said he will plead guilty to tax evasion and drug trafficking charges.

The court has assigned Judge S. Arthur Spiegel to sentence Peters. No sentencing date has been set.

A story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this morning quoted Linda Kloth, chief administrator of the federal court in Cincinnati, as saying Rubin would remove himself because “he just felt there was an appearance of impropriety” because of his publicly stated views on the investigation.

Rubin accused baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti last Friday of “entering into . . . a vendetta against Pete Rose,” according to a transcript of a conference in the judge’s chambers.