Pete Rose is a Dick
September, 2023
Seth is now seven days into 6th grade and the transition involving style, personality and language (among other things) from elementary to middle school is truly eye-popping. I do the morning drop-off and it is more than a little entertaining watching a bunch of 6th, 7th and 8th graders converging on their middle school. If there are 500 kids, you're looking at about 500 different styles, which was hardly the case at Stromsburg Jr./Sr. High in the late 1970s.
The night before his 12th birthday, Seth invited me to read with him in bed for 10 or 15 minutes before lights out. This is something that happened nearly every night from ages 2-10, usually for half an hour or until one of us fell asleep. Since then it has been more hit and miss - only on his request which, if it happens, I am usually ready, willing and able.
So we read a few short stories out of some book his Language Arts teacher had given him at school that day. Then he decided to spend the last couple of minutes on a plus-sized Sports Illustrated coffee table book of his that covers the last 50 years in sport, with photos from many of the great S.I. photgraphers. We paged through a few years, with me reading the descriptions. Upon arriving at 1975, there was a a half-page, full-color shot of Pete Rose aggressively sliding headfirst into what looks to be 3rd base at Wrigley Field.
And then......
SETH: Pete seems like kind of a DICK.
I had never heard the boy use that word - certainly never in our hallowed bedtime setting - and it caught me off guard. Seth was giving me that look as if to say, "Whoops, that kind of slipped out." But all I could do was start to laugh, which in turn started Seth laughing. Uncontrollably. This went on for maybe two minutes. I was fully embracing the middle school boy mentality and I have to say, it was a whole lot of fun. It also made me realize - those innocent elementary school days.....have left the building.
And while I don't know Pete personally, I watched him play, I heard the interviews and read the stories, which have been plentiful. I have my own opinion, and that's all it is.
So in the end, once our giggling had subsided, I had to concur.
"Yeah, Seth, you're probably right. Pete's kind of a DICK."
It has become one of many memorable exchanges with my suddenly not-so-innocent young son.
I look forward to many more. No offense, Pete.
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