SCOTTSDALE - Major League Baseball received yet another black eye today when Sports Illustrated published excerpts from a book to be released next week that chronicles evidence showing that former Cincinnati Reds superstar Pete Rose, banned from baseball for life for betting on games while he was the Reds' manager, started placing bets as early as 1998 that Giants superstar Barry Bonds was using performance-enhancing drugs. This information comes days after Sports Illustrated published a detailed report showing that, in fact, Bonds started using steroids heavily in 1998. Bonds was harshly critical of Rose today. "It is misconduct such as Rose's gambling that engenders disrepute of our national pastime," said the seven-time MVP and new all-time homerun king.
Meanwhile, reporters caught up with Rose in a New York airport and asked him to comment on this week's revelations about Bonds. Baseball's all-time hit leader smiled and said, "I win."
