Pete Rose Night Turns Into A Massive Party For Cincinnati That Needs To Become A Tradition

CINCINNATI, OH — Based on what I witnessed Wednesday night on Pete Rose Night at Great American Ballpark, the Cincinnati Reds have no choice but to throw this massive party on a yearly basis. 

Bring it back. Just circle it on the calendar. Celebrate Pete Rose. Celebrate Cincinnati. Celebrate what makes this city happy: Beer, baseball and Pete Rose.

That wasn't just a sellout crowd of 43,585 at GABP. A standing-room-only crowd. This was a crazy, well-lubed, raucous crowd celebrating what felt like Opening Day, July 4th weekend, New Year's Eve and Thanksgiving Eve all rolled into one massive party to celebrate the hometown hero who passed away in September 2024. 

(Pete Rose's great friend Marty Brennaman was joined by (L-R) George Foster, Barry Larkin & Eric Davis during a pregame ceremony before Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox.  Joe Kinsey / OutKick)

Fans started lining up at 2 p.m. — that's when I got to the ballpark — for a 7:14 start. Yes, they got a free Pete Rose jersey shirt, and there was a special pregame ceremony honoring Pete that fans wanted to see, but, still, standing in searing sunshine for three hours is a serious life commitment.

"He's our Babe Ruth. If you're from here, he's our Babe Ruth," Pete Rose Jr. said on the field before Wednesday's game. "This is awesome. We're at a ballpark. We're Roses. You couldn't ask for a better night."

From fans wearing "Bet on this Bart" t-shirts as a tribute to Pete's nemesis, former MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti to fans in full Pete Rose jerseys telling Rob Manfred he messed up not reinstating Rose while he was alive, fans were on their A-game. 

(Reds World Series champion outfielder Eric Davis chats with Reds pitcher Hunter Greene before Pete Rose Night festivities at Great American Ballpark. Joe Kinsey / OutKick)

With the franchise struggling — the Reds havent' finished better than 3rd place since 2012 & haven't won a playoff series since 1995 — Wednesday night was a much needed distraction from yet another rebuild. 

This was a chance to remember better times in Reds baseball. It was a therapy session. 

Pete Rose Jr. was right. You couldn't have asked for a better night outside of the Reds losing 4-2. 

(This Reds fan says he had 100 of these shirts printed in 1987 and there's still a pile laying around that he cherishes. Joe Kinsey / OutKick)

Highlights and observations from Pete Rose Night: 

• Yes, I was on a Big J press pass and sat in the Big J press box. It wasn't a very exciting place to hang out, but it was a nice place to sit, type this post using the Reds' WiFi and drink a few cups of water.
• Yes, there was a soft drink machine like at a gas station. No, I didn't use it outside of filling up a cup with water. There was also a bowl of popcorn that I didn't see anyone eat out of. There wasn't food in the press box. There might've been a press meal somewhere else. I have no idea. I know you guys enjoy details like these that the typical Big Js don't mention in their game reports.
• Did you really need a press pass? Guys, I wrote this entire post while in the press box. That pass helped out a ton. You guys get a report on Pete Rose Night right out of the gate on a Thursday morning. That doesn't happen without the pass.
• All joking aside about the Big Js, there are six plaques on the wall of the press box honoring men who have covered the Reds. Three of those plaques — Si Burick, Ritter Collett and Hal McCoy — wrote for Dayton newspapers. All three are Baseball Hall of Famers and Daytonians are very proud of that fact. By the way, Hal is 84 and still writing about the Reds.

(My view from the third row of the GABP press box.  Joe Kinsey / OutKick)

• I placed a $20 bet on the Reds at Hard Rock Casino to win on Pete Rose Night. It just didn't feel that exciting placing the bet at a kiosk. The actual sportsbook was closed due to a private function, which really ruined the vibe of placing a bet in Pete's honor.

• The 50/50 was $47,500 with two outs in the top of the 9th.
• This photo wasn't staged. I was leaning against the dugout typing away on my phone and, all of a sudden, half of the Reds roster was behind me. They didn't even tell me to get lost. I was just trying to stay out of the way.

(Joe Kinsey / OutKick)

• George Foster is 76 and in better shape than any of us will be at 76, if we even live to see 76. I don't know what Foster's workout regimen is like, but he should do a YouTube series. The guy is still chiseled.
• Speaking of a retired player being in great shape, Eric Davis is now 62 and looks like he's 36 and could suit up right now for the Reds. Yes, I'm having trouble believing the guy I saw as a kid in 1990 at Riverfront Stadium take Dave Stewart deep in Game 1 of the World Series is now old enough to collect Social Security.
• Imagine my shock when I got on the elevator to field level and Barry Larkin was in there. Some commercial came on the elevator TV saying something about catchers. Barry proceeds to say how tough catchers are. As a former catcher, hearing one of my baseball heroes say something like that was cool. I take back everything I have said about Barry disappearing during Reds' broadcasts. The guy is back on my hero list.

• Is it odd that the Reds were selling the flowers placed in front of the Pete Rose statue out front of GABP which were also used during the pregame ceremony? To some, it is. But let's remember that fans cherish this kind of connection to an event. I have absolutely no issue with this.

• I miss Riverfront, but now you don't need a blue ticket to sit in the lower level. There's no more sneaking past security required at GABP. The days of dads telling their kids to act cool as they pulled a fast one on Riverfront security are long gone.
• And lastly, thank you to the Reds for the pass. Hopefully any apprehension they had has been put to rest. Yes, I do things differently than a traditional Big J, but I take great pride in being fair and balanced when I go into these experiences. No, I didn't ask for any autographs. Yes, I did say hello to Steve Garvey, who has done multiple interviews with OutKick. I saw other Big Js saying hello to luminaries. I'd like to think I did the profession and Pete proud on this big night for Cincinnati. Hopefully, we get to do this all again down the road. Bring back Pete Rose Night. It's so good for the soul.