Children Seem to Like Rose on First Day

Pete Rose apparently was a hit with the staff and students at an elementary school as he began 1,000 hours of community service for violating federal tax laws.

A week after his release from federal prison, Rose reported Monday to a city school to begin his community service as a gym teacher’s assistant.

Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, helped students at Heberle Elementary School in gymnastics exercises and talked to one class about baseball.

“How to hit a ball and throw,” said Tyrone Satterwhite, 8, a second-grader, as he left the school with his mother, Angela. “He was nice.”

Virgil Amison, 10, a third-grader, said Rose helped youngsters do gymnastic flips on the rings. Another third-grade student, Lawanda Bradley, 8, said Rose appeared to enjoy himself with her class.

“He said it was fun to be here,” she said.

“I enjoyed it,” Rose said after emerging from his first day’s work. “We worked on the rings all day. It’s not one of my favorite things to do. . . . I’m looking forward to the basketball and the volleyball and the tumbling. It looks like we have some good tumblers.”

Ralph Wright, the gym teacher who supervised him, said Rose worked well with the youngsters.

“Even at the end of the day, he ran into some kids in the hallway and already remembered their names,” school spokesman John Brunner quoted Wright as saying.

Rose pleaded guilty April 20 to felony charges that he hid income from gambling and baseball memorabilia sales from the IRS.