Because he was a unique kind of player
Of course, nobody plays for as long — and as often — as Rose did without a little luck. In Rose’s first 20 (non-strike) seasons he averaged 157 games per season. Essentially, he was nearly as durable as Cal Ripken … but for five more seasons.
It helped that Rose was Rose. He once told the writers, “I haven’t missed a game in two and a half years. I go to the park sick as a dog and, when I see my uniform hanging there, I get well right now. Then I see some of you guys and I get sick again.”
Rose loved baseball. Rose loved to compete. Rose loved to play. He once said he would “walk through hell in a gasoline suit to keep playing baseball.” He once said, “Playing baseball for a living is like having a license to steal.”
Once, when given a one-game rest by his manager — when he was 42 years old — Rose said, “So what do I do now? How do I rest? Do I sit on the bench? Do I stand? I wish somebody could tell me how to rest.”
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
