Pete Rose LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 15: Former Major League Baseball player and manager Pete Rose speaks during a news conference at Pete Rose Bar & Grill to respond to his lifetime ban from MLB for gambling being upheld on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday announced that he was rejecting Rose’s application for reinstatement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Pete Rose’s recent story has been certainly an odd one. After Rob Manfred decided to uphold Rose’s ban from baseball, and by extension the Hall of Fame, the sport’s hit king continues to truck along, signing autographs wherever he can, including at minor league ballparks.

Last night, he was at the Rochester Red Wings-Syracuse Nationals at Frontier Field, and took the “first swing” instead of throwing the first pitch at the game. He then went up to sign autographs for 100 lucky fans who ponied up $125 bucks for the privilege.

But Rose could only do that last night, and at any subsequent trip to any ballpark across the country. His ban from the sport prevents him from speaking to players or umpires, even at the minor-league level. The teams that want to bring Rose to their ballparks have to ask for permission from Rob Manfred’s office first, and then will likely be told of the no-conversing edict at the same time if he’s allowed in.

“That’s the only thing I’m disappointed in,” Rose said during a phone conversation on Tuesday with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “I enjoy going into the clubhouse and talking to the players. I find me going into the clubhouse can only help those players.

“I can give them advice on what not to do, what to do and what the rewards are at the end of the tunnel. I’m not going to tell them not to gamble; I’m not going to tell them how to live their lives. But I can tell them what it takes to make the big leagues and stay in the big leagues.”

He then made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this morning, where he went into more detail about his ban.

“Like I said, Mr. Manfred has really loosened the reigns around my neck. He has the blessings of me working at FOX, allowed me on the field all three days last week in Cincinnati… one of the big things about an appearance is talking to these kids who are biting at the bit to make the big leagues. I can do nothing but help them, relax them and tell them how hard it is to get there and what it’s worth when it gets there.”

While in many respects Rose isn’t quite the persona non grata he used to be, he’s still not fully back and entrenched in the game he loved and set records in. This story will continue to evolve over time, and many other nights like last night could become the norm for Rose.

If you’d like to watch the rest of his interview with Dan Patrick, you can do so below:

[Rochester Democrat & Chronicle]

About Matt Lichtenstadter

Recent Maryland graduate. I've written for many sites including World Soccer Talk, GianlucaDiMarzio.com, Testudo Times, Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog and more. Houndstooth is still cool, at least to me. Follow me @MattsMusings1 on Twitter, e-mail me about life and potential jobs at matthewaaron9 at Yahoo dot com.