My Prison Without Bars
by Pete Rose, Rick Hill

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Book Reviews of My Prison Without Bars

Book Review: The Black Sox Were Regular Guys, Too
Summary: 3 Stars

If this is the book that Pete Rose thought would change the Commissioner's mind, then he is deluding himself about more than his problem gambling.

Rose has a zillion excuses for his gambling -- it's legal, he has attention deficit disorder, it's just the way he is, he doesn't drink or hit his wife, his father gambled, etc. He just wants to be treated the same as everyone else. Except that he also wants special treatment for having more hits than Ty Cobb.

My Prison Without Bars (how's that for a self-pitying title?) tells the story of Rose's life. He's just a regular guy who swears and spits and scratches and likes to bet on just about anything. But he loves baseball more than all that and he's really good at it.

I can't imagine this book changing anyone's mind. Rose portrays himself as a victim, hanging out with people who took advantage of him, being treated unfairly by Giamatti and Kuehn and now Selig. He takes credit for everything good that happens and blames someone else for everything bad. The good ol' boy style of the narrative gets old fast.

It seems that interest in Rose's situation is limited. Most fans of the game formed an opinion about Rose's suspension years ago, and there is nothing here to change one's mind. At this point, Rose reappearing to press his claim once more is a bit sad. Rose says he wants to move on now, and maybe he will.

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