Writer Claims to Have Copy of Rose Report

Free-lance writer David D. Shumacher, who wrote Margo Adams’ two-part series in Penthouse magazine, claims he has a copy of the confidential Pete Rose report and is considering an offer to sell it.

Shumacher refused to say how he acquired the report, which baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti will use to determine Rose’s fate. The report deals with allegations involving Rose’s gambling.

“I’ve been asked to make a decision by today,” said Shumacher, who also refused to say who was buying the document. “They seem convinced of its authenticity, and it is authentic.”

Giamatti said he had heard rumors about the existence of a copy of the report but said they were never verified.

“I have not heard any confirmation that there’s any absolutely unauthorized release of that document,” Giamatti said. “I cannot believe it came from either side, frankly. It certainly didn’t come from mine.”

Shumacher, who said he had been offered $20,000, said the delay on his decision was “a moral question” as to whether an early release of the report would be prejudicial to the Cincinnati Reds manager.

“The report is the property of major league baseball,” said Francis T. Vincent Jr., deputy commissioner. He would not comment on the possibility of legal action if Shumacher’s claim is true.

The Los Angeles Times was offered the report for $25,000 through somebody representing Shumacher.

(Times Sports Editor Bill Dwyre said, “Since we don’t engage in checkbook journalism, we declined to even call the phone number the contact gave us.”)

Henry Freeman, managing editor for sports of USA Today, said today that the paper listened to Shumacher but refused to make an offer. Kevin Huhn, deputy sports editor of the Cincinnati Post, said Shumacher approached his paper Tuesday but that it, too, declined.