Gomes Gets Rose Autograph

Find a picture of Johnny Gomes and chances are pretty good his uniform will be dirty.

Gomes is a get dirty kind of guy.

After three years with Tampa Bay, he's got a new team. Fitting, too, that he now wears the Cincinnati Reds colors because you're not likely to find a bigger fan of Pete Rose than Gomes. Rose may have the young player beat in terms of hitting ability, but the two are kindred spirits when it comes to intensity.

Gomes was star-struck a few years ago when he visited the Las Vegas shopping mall where Rose is a frequent autograph guest, grabbing a photo and paying to get Charley Hustle's autograph, according to a story by Hal McCoy in the Dayton Daily News.