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What: “Up Close Prime Time”

Where: ESPN, 6:30 tonight

Pete Rose had a record 4,256 hits, and that’s also about the number of times he has been the subject of a television show. Do we really need one more?

It has been 10 years--the date was Aug. 24, 1989--since Rose drew his lifetime suspension from baseball because of conduct not in the best interests of baseball.

Rose has never wavered in proclaiming he never bet on baseball, and there is no admission of guilt in this half-hour show. But the editing and Roy Firestone’s interviewing skills make it worth watching.

The editing comes into play as Rose is given a chance to respond to recent comments about his situation. When Hank Aaron is shown saying Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame, Rose calls him “a fair man.” When Frank Robinson is shown saying Rose has a strong will and “doesn’t want to admit he did something wrong,” Rose’s response is: “I’ve said I’m sorry on every TV show I’ve been on, on every radio show, to every newspaper writer I’ve talked to.”

Former teammate Johnny Bench, who, like Joe Morgan, has been an outspoken critic of Rose, is shown saying that the evidence is there that he broke a sacred rule and there shouldn’t be an exception. Says Rose: “I broke a rule. I ran a red light. Should I have to pay for that the rest of my life?”

Firestone doesn’t let him get away with that one. “You did more than run a red light,” he says.

Rose also says, “If I had been addicted to drugs, I’d still be managing the Reds today, and they would have paid for my rehabilitation.” And: “I’m still trying to figure out how many people I’ve killed.”

The gist of what Rose tries to get across in the interview is that he has paid for his mistakes and he wants to have the suspension lifted so he can manage “and support my family.” Induction to the Hall of Fame is important, but secondary.

Firestone interviewed Commissioner Bud Selig over the weekend, after an advance copy of the Rose interview was made available, and Selig’s comments will be edited in.

“My opinion is, he won’t budge,” Firestone said after returning home from the interview session with Selig. “My impression is, he’s standing guard over a friend’s memory.”

Bart Giamatti, the commissioner who suspended Rose, died eight days after making the announcement.

Meanwhile, the debate over Rose’s ban continues.