By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
"Charlie Hustle" is moving a little slower these days, but former major league baseball player Pete Rose, is still quick with the one liners and quick to enjoy life.
Rose was the guest of honor at the annual Forrest City Grocery Charity Golf Tournament held Monday at Forrest City Country Club.
Each year, the tournament helps raise money to benefit the Forrest City Education Foundation.
With the most-ever teams entered into the event -- 36 -- the tournament also exceeded last year's total by raising more than $335,000, according to Danny Tate, special events director for the yearly tournament. That tops last year's $240,000 total.
While there were several Forrest City golfers playing on various teams, the winners were all from out of town and the winning score was a 58, 13-under par for the course.
Rose was making his first trip to Forrest City and appeared to be right at home as the former Cincinnati Red player and manager posed for photos with each team entered into the tournament and spent some time signing autographs.
Rose said a couple of meetings with Forrest City Grocery owner David Cohn at Atlantic City, paved the way for his appearance Monday.
"David told me about the tournament and invited me to come down and play the course, meet some of the local people and have some fun," Rose said. "This is the kind of thing that I do, make corporate appearances of this nature. I guess I'm kind of a goodwill ambassador. I just have fun with it."
Rose said he usually has more fun with the people involved than he does with his golf game.
"I used to play every day but my game lacks a little sometimes," Rose said. "I should be all right today because I'm playing a par three."
While posing for photos Rose was quick with the ad lib one-liners including one after his cell phone rang in the middle of the shoot.
When told to go ahead and answer it, Rose took a look at the incoming number and returned the phone to his pocket.
"It's nothing. I thought it was Bud Selig calling," Rose laughed.
Born Peter Edward Rose on April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rose played baseball in high school and signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds after his high school graduation.
By the start of the 1963 season, he had worked his way through the Reds' organization and was the teams' regular second baseman.
His hard working style prompted Hall-of-Fame Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford to label him "Charlie Hustle," a nickname that Rose would be known by for the rest of his career. He hit .273 that season and was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1963.
Rose's playing flourished from 1965 to 1973, batting over .300 and he became an important component to Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" that dominated the National League in the 1970's.
Rose played on four league champions and two World Series winners. In 1975, he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and The Sporting News Man of the Year.
As a free agent in 1978, Pete signed to play for the Philadelphia Phillies and was instrumental to the Phillies pennant winning teams in 1980 and 1983. He led the team to the World Series Championship in 1980.
After a brief stint with the Montreal Expos, Rose was given the chance to return to the Reds on August 16, 1984.
On Sept. 11, of the following year, Rose established his place in baseball history when he set the all-time major league hit record of 4,192 breaking Hall of Famer Ty Cobb's mark of 4,191. He totaled an amazing 4,256 hits by the time he retired from the game.
Rose retired from baseball after the 1986 season but served as the Reds' manager from 1985 to 1988, helping the Reds to four consecutive second place finishes.
Rose currently lives in Florida and California. He has four
children: Fawn, Pete Jr., Tyler and Kara.
Hartman Diesel pushed their season record to 8-1 Monday in the Minor (pitching machine) League with a 5-2 win over Ridout.
The latest win keeps the team in second place behind unbeaten Easley Law, 9-0.
Easley and Hartman will play each other for the first time this season Thursday at 6 p.m. on Field 7.
Ridout took a 2-1 lead over Hartman with two runs in the top of the second inning.
Hartman won the game by scoring four runs in the bottom of the third.
Ethan Deere led Hartman by scoring twice.
Arkansas Electric won for only the second time this season by defeating the Lions Club 6-2 in Monday's late game.
Lions Club used a first inning run by Cody Garner to take a 1-0 lead over Arkansas Electric. Brett Pendergrass made it a 2-0 Lions Club lead by scoring a single run in the top of the third.
Arkansas Electric tied the game at 2-2 with two runs in the bottom of the third inning when Terion Smith and Tanner Jackson each scored.
They broke the tie with a four-run fourth inning as Smith and Jackson each scored a giant while Anish and Ashask Peter each scored single runs.
Arkansas Electric returns to action tonight to take on Vaccaro at 6 p.m., while Lions Club will face Twillies Tigers in the second game at 7:30 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
With just seven players, Bonanza lost for the first time this season as Clay raced to an early lead and never looked back.
Clay scored four runs each in the first and second innings on the way to an 8-6 win over Bonanza in 16-under girls' fast pitch league play.
Bonanza falls to 6-1 and into a first-place tie with Pizza Inn, a 9-8 winner over Times-Herald Monday night.
Clay improves to 2-5 for the year.
Jasmine Scott, Shandreka Jones, Aneshia Barden and Ikeshia Chism each scored twice to lead Clay.
Leigh Anna Taylor got Bonanza on the board with a run in the bottom of the first to cut Clay's lead to 4-1.
Bonanza put together a five-run, second inning but it wasn't enough to get the come-from-behind win.
Neither team scored in the third inning and Clay ended the game with Bonanza runners standings at second and third.
Pizza Inn sealed the win over Times-Herald by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the 9-8 win.
That puts Pizza Inn back in a tie for first place with Bonanza.
The two teams are scheduled to play each other next week in a make up game.
Rishonda Deans and Ashley Boswell led Pizza Inn by scoring two runs each.
Times-Herald got runs from Torrie Willis, Rudy Stewart and Cassandra Jackson. Stewart and Jackson each hit home runs in the game.
The Dixie Chix ran their record to 3-4 Monday with a 7-5 win over Dr. St. John.
Ryan Cole, Sunni Dunn and Shania Johnson each scored runs for Dr. St. John.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Houser picked up a couple of victories Monday in Bambino 11-12 League play by sweeping Derrick CPA, 12-3 and 12-3, in a regular scheduled game and a makeup.
The two wins push Houser to 4-6 for the year while Derrick slips to 2-7 for the year.
Houser got big production in both games from Jeffery Siler, Will Whittendon, Decobin Flenoy, Derek Buchanan, Zachery Hill, Justin Crawford, Rubin Ivey and Dendric McCoy.
Lucas Trucking moved to 8-0 for the year using a 7-0 shut out win over Robert's Welding to do so.
Lucas led just 3-0 before scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Robert's suffered 16 strikeouts at the hands of Lucas pitching and had just two base runners during the game.
Henry Henderson led Lucas by scoring three times. Bruce Heard and Jim Bailey hit home runs for Lucas.
Finally, Cochran Auto put together a seven-run, first inning, sending 10 batters to the plate, to take a 12-7 win over Mr. T Auto.
Mr. T scored four runs in the fifth inning.
Chandler Sorrels, Romero Barber, Brandon Moton, Tom Bryant, Ladarius Townsend and Xavier Banks helped Cochran by scoring runs. Moton homered for Cochran.
Mr. T got runs from Terry Matthew, Tim Quinn, Dominique Smith and Chris Hunter.
Monday's schedule completed the regular season portion but the league still has some rain out games to make up on Thursday.
The Bambino 9-10 League will play tonight beginning at 6 p.m. on Fields 5&6.
Thursday's showdown in the adult men's softball league is set.
Kerby's and Gym 2000, both 5-0 for the year, will meet at 8 p.m., on Field 3.
Both teams had to come-from-behind Monday night to remain unbeaten.
Gym 2000 defeated Food Giant 14-6 after falling behind 6-2 in the second inning.
Gym used three runs in the third and four in the fourth to gain the win.
Likewise, Kerby's trailed Wal-Mart 8-5, before scoring 13 runs in the fifth inning to post an 18-8 win.
Wal-Mart loses its second straight game and falls to 3-2 for the year.
In other games played Monday, the Head Hunters shut out Laws Contracting 22-0 to get their first win of the year.
The game between A&M Connection and the Middle Busters was declared a double forfeit after a scuffle broke out between players.
The two players involved have been suspended for the remainder of the season.
The 10-under girls' slow-pitch softball schedule has changed.
B&E Tires will play a doubleheader tonight, facing Stevens at 7 p.m., and then playing Sanyo at 8 p.m.
The change was brought about when the True Value team folded.
After tonight, all remaining games will be played at 7 p.m.
The Dynamic Divas ran their record to 3-1 Monday with a 12-3 win over Popeyes in the adult women's softball league play.
Wal-Mart evened their season record at 2-2 by turning back the Lady All-Stars 14-9.
League-leading Chism, 4-0, was idle Monday and will return to play Thursday against Popeyes.