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Pete Rose greeted warmly in ceremonies before All-Star Game

 
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 14:  Former Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose and Barry Larkin walk on the field prior to the 86th MLB All-Star Game at the Great American Ball Park on July 14, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) 554358343
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 14: Former Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose and Barry Larkin walk on the field prior to the 86th MLB All-Star Game at the Great American Ball Park on July 14, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) 554358343
Published July 15, 2015

CINCINNATI — If it were up to a voice vote of the fans at Great American Ballpark on Tuesday night, Pete Rose would have been reinstated on the spot.

Given a temporary reprieve from his permanent ban to participate in the ceremonies before Tuesday's All-Star Game, baseball's all-time hits leader received a predictably roaring reception from his hometown crowd. Many fans wore his No. 14 jersey to the stadium located on Pete Rose Way.

Rose, wearing a red blazer, was introduced as the last of the Reds' "Franchise Four" players. He walked slowly to the mound, waving to the crowd and congratulating the other honorees, Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin and Joe Morgan.

"The only bad thing about being out there: I didn't get no at-bats," Rose told reporters afterward. "I wish I had gotten a couple of at-bats. The fans were wonderful.

"I've been going through this love affair for 30 years. The fans are great."

Rose has been banned from baseball since 1989 for gambling issues and is awaiting a ruling on the request he made for reinstatement in March with new commissioner Rob Manfred, whom he met just before going on the field. Rose, currently working as an analyst for Fox, has been allowed to have limited participation in events but can't be considered for the Hall of Fame while banned.

Manfred said earlier Tuesday he remained "committed" to giving Rose a thorough hearing at a date to be decided, but there was "no change" in the process and his staff was reviewing and taking "a fresh look" at the extensive investigatory material.

Rose, 74, rapped a major-league-record 4,256 hits in a career that ended in 1986. He agreed to the permanent ban three years later and eventually admitted he bet on games but claimed he did so only when managing. ESPN recently reported he also did so as a player-manager in 1986.

BEST OF THE BEST: MLB also introduced the top four Greatest Living Players, with the current All-Stars joining the fans in cheering: Hank Aaron, Bench, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays. Koufax threw out the first pitch to Bench.

FOUR ON THE FLOOR: Winners of the fan voting for the Rays' Franchise Four players were, in order, RHP James Shields, LHP David Price, INF/OF Ben Zobrist and 3B Evan Longoria. LF Carl Crawford, a four-time All-Star in nine years with the team, would have seemed to warrant a place in that group. Others on the ballot were LHP Scott Kazmir, 1B Carlos Peña and OF B.J. Upton.

MORE COMMISH: Manfred said with advances in technology, there will be improvements in the speed of replay reviews and an expansion in the types of plays that can be reviewed. But he said they are "a ways away from the technology to call balls and strikes."

Speaking to members of the Baseball Writers Association of America before the game, Manfred said implementing a 20-second pitch clock, as is used in some minor leagues, might be useful, but players union chief Tony Clark, in a separate media session, made clear he was staunchly opposed.

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Manfred also said that pace-of-game changes have helped as the average time is down nine minutes from last year; the new timed format for the Home Run Derby received favorable reviews from all parties; no major changes are planned for the All-Star voting system; MLB will continue to evaluate ways to increase fan safety such as additional netting; he would be open to discussing shortening the season from 162 games, but the financial ramifications from the decrease in inventory would be problematic; and a domestic violence policy will be released shortly.

MISCELLANY: Reds 3B Todd Frazier, who was the crowd favorite in winning Monday's Home Run Derby, received another huge ovation on Tuesday. … There were 33 first-time All-Stars in the game, including Rays RHPs Chris Archer and Brad Boxberger.