Carpenter says he corked bats for Rose
Stadium employee alleges Charlie Hustle nicknamed him ‘Corky,’ shipped him dozens of bats
A former Montrealer who once worked at the Olympic Stadium says he used to cork bats for baseball legend Pete Rose, according to a report in a Florida newspaper.
Bryan Greenberg, who worked as a private carpenter, said he corked bats for Rose at his home in Dorval, Que. and not at the Olympic Stadium.
And while Greenberg admitted to corking the bats, he did not say Rose ever used them in a game.
“Rose told me he was using them for batting practice,” Greenberg told the Palm Beach Post. “I don’t know what he did with the bats. Maybe he did only use them in BP. I don’t know if he used them on the field,” Greenberg said.
Bryan Greenberg
The Montreal Gazette reported in May that Greenberg corked bats for Rose as a Montreal Expos player in 1984.
Rose played 95 games for the Expos that season, before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 16, 1984.
Greenberg also told the Florida newspaper he corked bats for “a couple” of Expos players after he started working for the visiting team’s clubhouse manager in 1995. He would not identify the players.
He also refuted he corked bats at the Olympic Stadium, contrary to what had been reported in the Montreal Gazette article.
“I never did any corking at Olympic Stadium,” he said. “There was no secret room, no tarps, no machine.
“I know it’s not a can of worms because it’s already been opened. I just want the truth to come out.”
Greenberg, who now lives in Jupiter, Fla., could not be reached by the Montreal Gazette for comment.
Greenberg said he was approached by John Silverman, the Expos’ clubhouse manager, in April 1984 about corking a bat for Rose.
“He knew I was a construction worker and tradesman. He said, ‘Rose wants to see you. Can you cork a bat?’” Greenberg told the Post.
But Silverman told the Post he has no recollection of such a conversation and has no knowledge of Rose ever corking his bats.
Greenberg said Rose shipped dozens of Mizuno bats to Greenberg’s house in Dorval, where he would drill and then cork the bats. “It took me 10 minutes to do a bat,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg said he brought the corked bats to the Olympic Stadium, and that Rose “slipped me some money once in a while.”
He said Rose called him “Corky.”
One of the highlights of Rose’s stint as an Expo came during the team’s home opener on April 13, 1984, when Rose doubled off Philadelphia
Phillies pitcher Jerry Koosman to join the legendary Ty Cobb as the only Major League Baseball (MLB) players to collect 4,000 hits.
Greenberg told the Post that Rose owned “one of Ty Cobb’s bats and he was going to use that Ty Cobb bat in the game to get the 4,000th hit, but he broke it in batting practice.”
Greenberg also noted in the
Palm Beach Post article that he is “confident that he had not yet corked any bats for Rose during that first home series.”
Rose played 24 years in the major leagues and retired in 1986 as baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256. The record still stands.
Rose was banned from MLB in 1989 because of gambling, including betting on baseball.
I know it’s not a can of worms because it’s already been opened. I just want the truth to come out.”