Few characters in baseball are as intriguing as Pete Rose. The major leagues' all-time hits leader with 4,256, Rose is not in the Hall of Fame because of his lifetime ban from the sport for betting on baseball games.

In the 1960s, Pete Rose was a brash rookie who turned the derisive nickname Charlie Hustle into a badge of honor. In the 1970s, he won World Series titles, an MVP, and challenged the greatest streak in baseball history. In the 1980s he became the most prolific hitter in history, managed his hometown team, and was banished from baseball for his indiscretions. In the 1990s and into the early 2000s, Rose pleaded his innocence and then recanted, admitting his guilt, hoping to get back into the game. Through it all Pete Rose maintained his station at the top of baseball headlines. He defined his era.