Pete Rose disappointed in MLB decision, says he wants to ‘be a friend of baseball’

Pete Rose was contrite and humorous and apologetic one day after Major League Baseball, for all intent and purposes, closed the door one final time on the all-time hit king's pursuit of reinstatement and a chance at making the Hall of Fame.

Rose held a news conference at his restaurant on The Strip, saying he was disappointed in commissioner Rob Manfred's decision but that he accepted responsibility for continuing to gamble and bet on games when he was playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds.

"All I want to be is a friend of baseball," Rose said. "I want baseball and Pete Rose to be friends so I am not on the outside looking in. I will continue on the path to reconfigure my life.

"Everything I do now in terms (of gambling) is legal. No more behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm 74 years old. If I'm at home and see a game, I might make a small bet on it. (Gambling) is the way I get my enjoyment.

"I know that I am the one who screwed up. I'm the one who made mistakes.You win some, you lose some, and you get rained out unless you're in the dome."