Reds honor Pete Rose with 14-hour visitation at stadium - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Thousands of fans streamed into Great American Ball Park despite steady rain on Sunday to pay respects to Pete Rose, baseball's career hits leader, who died Sept. 30 at the age of 83.

The 14-hour visitation, in honor of Rose's jersey number, was arranged by the Cincinnati Reds with cooperation from Rose's daughters, Fawn and Kara, who exchanged hugs, stories and even some tears with fans.

«We wanted to do something like this,» said Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame. «You could see from the turnout, it means a lot to the people here. It's a moving experience.»

Rose, known as «Charlie Hustle» for his unbridled passion for the game, was the engine behind Cincinnati's «Big Red Machine» clubs that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and '76.

A 17-time All-Star, the switch-hitting Rose played on three World Series winners. He was the National League MVP in 1973 and World Series MVP two years later. He holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). But no milestone approached his 4,256 hits, surpassing his hero Ty Cobb's 4,191.

Rose was banished by Major League Baseball in 1989 for gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, undermining his achievements and Hall of Fame chances.

Despite his indiscretions away from the diamond, fans arrived as early as 4 a.m. Sunday to honor Rose, slowly passing by an urn containing his ashes and a table displaying his bright red Reds Hall of Fame induction suit jacket and other memorabilia while a highlight video of his illustrious career played on the concourse video boards.

Fans left flowers and other mementos at the Rose statue located just outside the main entrance to the ballpark.

«He was a guy you