President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he plans to grant a full pardon to Pete Rose, one of Major League Baseball’s all-time greats. He was banned for life from the sport in 1989 due to his involvement in betting on games.
While the move has sparked renewed discussions over Rose’s controversial exclusion from the game, it also ties into an interesting pop culture reference in the hit show Better Call Saul. Here’s a look at Trump’s announcement and its unexpected connection to the world of television.
US President Donald Trump announced the pardon of late baseball player Pete Rose
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to declare his intention to pardon Pete Rose, one of the most accomplished baseball players of all time. Rose, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 83, was banned from baseball for gambling on games as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. In 2004, he admitted his gamble, though he never bet against his own team. Trump wrote,
Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on base all, but only bet on his team winning.
He further wrote,
He never bettered against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history.
Trump’s comments emphasized Rose’s legendary career, from 1963-86, with the Cincinnati Reds, which included 4,256 hits, making him the all-time leader in that category. However, his gambling scandal tarnished his reputation. Despite his admission, Rose continued to advocate for reinstatement into baseball, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected his petition for reinstatement in 2015.
Though Trump’s pardon announcement may generate further discussion around Rose’s legacy, it is unclear if it will be reinstated by MLB or receive Hall of Fame honors in the future.
Pete Rose has an unexpected connection to the hit show Better Call Saul
In a more surprising twist, the baseball played has a subtle connection to the popular TV show Better Call Saul. “Charlie Hustle” is a term famously given to the baseball legend for his aggressive, all-out playing style. For fans of Better Call Saul, the term “Charlie Hustle” holds special significance due to its use in the show.
In the fifth season of the show, Howard Hamlin, a prominent lawyer and rival of Bob Odenkirk‘s Jimmy McGill (Saul Goodman), uses the term “Charlie Hustle” to describe Jimmy. While Howard likely intended it as a compliment, the nickname carries a double meaning when considering Jimmy’s eventual descent into morally questionable practices. The nickname draws a parallel between Pete Rose’s relentless hustle on the baseball field and Jimmy’s own relentless pursuit of success.
Rose himself told the story to Villages-News that in spring training of 1963, as he began his career with the Reds, he displayed his strong determination. He dived headfirst into third base and sprinted home on a pop-up. Legendary Yankee players Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford jokingly dubbed him “Charlie Hustle” in the media. The nickname was stuck with him forever.
The connection between Rose’s hard work and Jimmy’s eventual moral decline in the show mirrors the dark turn in both Rose and Jimmy’s careers. It’s their deep ambition that eventually led them to make decisions that forever impacted their legacies.
The reference in Better Call Saul highlights how “Charlie Hustle” symbolizes not just relentless effort but the potential for moral compromise. As Jimmy evolves into the morally compromised Saul Goodman, the term becomes more fitting for his eventual slide into legal ambiguity, much like Peter Rose.
Better Call Saul is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
