"Rose's Thorns: An Idol and a

Scoundrel, Pete Perfectly

Represents Extremes"
Frank DeFord, Sports
Illustrated
Amazing, isn't it, this fervent interest still in one old
ballplayer? Why, I'd suggest that if you took every
argument about who belongs in eah of the sports halls
of fame in the world, there would be more disussion
involving !ete "ose than all the other andidates put
together#
$o now there's a big fuss beause "ose is %nally
admitting what everybody who is not in the Flat &arth
$oiety already knows' that, when he was a manager,
he bet on baseball# (aving properly propitiated, "ose
may again be embraed by (oly )other *aseball and
then aepted into the warm folds of the shrine at
+ooperstown#
,r not#
&ither way, many true believers will be absolutely
furious#
"ose inspires suh strong opposing feelings' I believe,
beause he so perfetly represents e-tremes# (is divide
is too stark, too muh to bear#
,n the one hand, there is no .uestion that in his
personal life he's a soundrel with a notorious demeanor
that seemed almost bound to eventually land him
behind bars# ,ne ther other, in the uniformed station,
he was all that we ould ever want a hero to be# At a
time when we are so disappointed in sports stars,
%nding them old and greedy, distant and disloyal, "ose
is remembered as an athleti paragon, playing every
moment of every game to the hilt# (e even ran to %rst
base on walks, remember? /he ool sophistiates
moked "ose, hristening him +harlie (ustle00but he
turned that sneer into a noble badge# It was not 1ust
that he loved the game he played so well# 2ust wathing
him, he made us love baseball more#
Alas, in every phase of his life, his passion always bled
into ompulsion# /he late "ihie Ashburn beame an
announer with the !hillies after his playing areer
ended# I'll never forget asking Ashburn after "ose after
the latter had spent his %rst season with the !hillies#
34es, let me tell you abut !ete "ose,3 "ihie said# 3If
ever !ete took one
drink at lunh, he
would be an aloholi
by nightfall# It
doesn't matter what
baseball, gambling,
women# "ose is the
most obsessive man
I've ever met#3
And, until now, of
ourse, he was 1ust
as obsessive about
stiking to a lie that
was so terribly
transparent#
5ltimately, 1ust as
"ose's enthusiasm
made those wathing
him more
enthusiasti about
baseball, so did his obstinay make others 1ust as
stubborn about giving in to him#
In the end, we are all00however we feel001ust so angry at
"ose# /hat's the ru-# And, invariably, it is the people
who love baseball the most who are most torn# If we
support "ose's laim to the (all of Fame, we furious that
he's tarnished his brilliane so by malfeasane and
deeit# 4et if we %nd him unbearable and unworthy,
maybe it pains us more beause we know that it is
preisely this urious, 6awed reature who, better than
anyone who ever played the game of baseball, played it
as we idolize it, played it as we wish everyone did#
7o one an meet !ete "ose halfway# 2ust as he never
met life#
"(&/,"I+A8 A7A84$I$ of 3"ose's /horns3
1. hat !s the rhetor!cal s!tuat!on" hat !s
#e$ord's ex!%ence and &ho do you th!n' h!s
pr!mary !ntended readers are"
(. hat !s #eford's !ntent!on, a!m, or purpose"
hat does he !ntend &!th column to do &!th and
for the readers"
9# hat !s the lo%os of the central !dea !n th!s
column" )o& &ould you descr!*e !t us!n%
syllo%!sm or enthymeme" hat does #eford
assume the aud!ence already th!n's, feels,
*el!e+es, or 'no&s a*out the su*,ect at hand, and
ho& does he use these assumpt!ons to de+elop
the logos"
-. hat !s the lo%os of at least one !dea that !s
su*s!d!ary to the central !dea" Ans&er the same
.uest!ons from the pre+!ous *ullet po!nt a*out
th!s !dea#
/. )o& does the text appeal to #eford's ethos"
hat spec!0c examples can you c!te that sho&s
h!m to *e an !ntell!%ent, %ood &!lled, %enerally
%ood person"
1. )o& &ould you character!2e #e$ord's
persona" )o& does th!s persona contr!*ute to
the text's appeal to ethos"
3. )o& does the text appeal to pathos" hat
emot!ons and !nterests of the aud!ence does !t
seem to *e play!n% upon"
4. hat type of styl!st!c cho!ces does #e$ord
ma'e"
5. hat !s the e6ect of us!n% th!s "7r not""
hat !s the e6ect of us!n% !t as a s!n%le
para%raph" hat !s the author tell!n% you *y
these t&o &ords"
18. hat a*out the structure of the essay"