The Cincinnati Reds have anounced they are drafting the 9 year-old in this years Major League Baseball draft. Rose's clone had been going by the name Charles E Fort but plans are in the works to legally change his name to Pete Rose III and be marketed by the name PR3.
Diggerer.com investigation began when rumors started spreading that the boy batted 977 as a 9 year-old in a Cincinnati Little League. The statistic that drew the most attention is that he shattered six Little League third baseman's legs with the classic Pete Rose head-first slide going from first to third.
Dave Young, one of the managers of an oppossing team said, "People have wondered for years about that kid because he looked so similar to Pete. I mean, that's not THAT unusual in the Cincinnati area -- for obvious reasons. But, when this kid started playing organized sports it became impossible to hide it. This kid bats the same and hustles the same as Pete. The hustling stands out because kids today are lazy. They'd rather be on the computer but this kid hustles everywhere he goes. Also, I'm told Charles is already known by all of the area bookies. He'll place bets on which ice cream cone will melt, first."
Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty said, "There has never been another player with Pete Rose's heart. He was never the fastest or strongest and clearly not the smartest -- but everything else you can teach. You can't teach heart. Cloning Pete was our best chance to recreate the greatest competitor of all time.
"The Reds have known about this from the start. Charles was bred to play baseball, kind of like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. This kid has been ripping pitches since he could hold a bat. The fact Charles learned to dive head first before he learned to walk tells me we succeeded in giving him Pete's desire and tenacity. He will bring The Big Red Machine back to it's glory days."
Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker said, "The kid is tremendous. He just won't quit. We are drafting him this year and we look for him to be in AA ball in the next couple of years. We think there is an excellent shot of him making the big leagues by 15. America loves kids again, kids are winning big in all those talent and singing shows, so this could bring back a lot of interest in the sport."
When asked what goes through his mind when he's playing Charles said, "See the ball; hit the ball."
Pete Rose could not be reached for comment.
