Rose unveils sculpture depicting his head-first slide

CINCINNATI » Pete Rose tugged on the edge of the tarp and slowly unveiled a bigger-than-life sculpture of one of his head-first slides, revealing it from the airborne cleats to the ground-scraping elbows. The Reds’ banished hits king was finally in bronze.

On a sizzling afternoon, thousands of fans packed the entrance to Great American Ball Park for the latest tribute to their favorite baseball son. The Cincinnati native became the eighth Reds star honored with a sculpture outside the ballpark.

“It’s just an honor to be on the same block with these guys,” said Rose, who is banned from Cooperstown because he bet on baseball. “This has to be the ultimate goal for any player of his or her sport.”

With Major League Baseball’s permission, the Reds have been catching up on honoring their most famous — and most controversial — player.

Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Joe Morgan were among those attending the festivities on Saturday.