Scrubs, Smoke, and Sliding into History with Pete Rose

I had always been a big fan of Charlie Hustle, having collected his ‘63 Rookie baseball card and then in ‘65 receiving the same 3 Rose cards in a single Topps pack of 5 cards!  But I digress ….back to the ‘85 season and Rose’s quest to overtake Ty Cobb as all time hits leader in September.  

During my medical training at the University of Cincinnati, I had the privilege of immersing myself in a rigorous academic and clinical environment while also enjoying some once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the heart of the Midwest. In fact, it was 40 years ago this week that I had the opportunity to experience one of the most unforgettable moments in baseball history, as I was fortunate to attend the historic game when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record.

Ironically, the Reds were starting a homestand and I was scheduled for a 30-day intensive care unit rotation. As it turns out, the only evening I would be able to attend a Reds game that week was Tuesday Sept 11 (16 years before the tragic day).  Of course, the homestand was sold out, but I managed to secure 2 tickets handing over a couple of crisp Andrew Jackson’s to a stadium scalper. No sooner than arriving for the game, when Rose stepped up to the plate with a record setting line drive hit into left field! 

 Sports seemed to weave their way into my Cincinnati years in unexpected ways; through a friend’s family connection to the Bengals, I found myself in a stadium box with relatives and friends of quarterback Ken Anderson. It was a time before cigarette smoking was banned in public places, and the enclosed seating area reeked like a chimney. Shortly thereafter, UC Hospital was among the earliest Medical Centers to completely ban smoking, even predating Johns Hopkins Hospital which continued to permit smoking when I arrived in 1986.

Cincinnati also provided the perfect launching point for a few other bucket-list sporting events. I managed to attend both the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500, each with their own unique spectacle and pageantry. Balancing intense rotations with the cultural and sporting life of the region gave my time at UC a richness that went beyond the hospital wards and lecture halls. Those years were a blend of professional growth and memorable milestones, shaped as much by the patients I cared for as by the historic games and events I witnessed.

Michael MIller, MD is a behavioral cardiologist and best-selling author of “Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease”, published by Penguin Random House.