CINCINNATI — On Wednesday, Cincinnati City Council voted to rename Boldface Park in Sedamsville to honor the late Reds icon Pete Rose. Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney proposed the resolution after the Sedamsville Community Council suggested it would be a fitting tribute.
Rose, who passed away from natural causes on September 30, was born and raised in Sedamsville, located on Cincinnati’s west side along the river between Riverside and East Price Hill.
Before earning the nicknames Charlie Hustle and the Hit King, he played baseball at Boldface Park as a child. Following his death, a small memorial was created in the sand of the field.
Rose later played at Western Hills High School before joining and eventually managing the Cincinnati Reds.
“He embodied Cincinnati,” stated former WCPO 9 sports director John Popovich. “He was truly from Riverside and Sedamsville, and everywhere in between. He had a tough upbringing as a kid from Western Hills.”
Cincinnati’s city council voted in favor of the honorary renaming of the park during a standing vote.
Council member Jeff Cramerding thanked the vice mayor for bringing the proposal to the council’s attention.
Council President Victoria Parks took a moment to reflect on Rose’s complex but celebrated legacy, saying, “Pete Rose wasn’t without his flaws, but he was a great baseball player.”
The city council has not yet provided any details about when the park will officially be renamed.
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