In 2016, Fox Sports 1 tweeted out a short animated video in which Pete Rose (above) told the story of his unusual introduction to Morganna Cottrell: “Before I could even see who it was, these arms were around me and I’m ready to swing at them when I realize it’s this beautiful young girl and she keeps chasing me.” He remembered telling her she was going to get in trouble for being on the field, to which he said she replied, “I sure in hell hope so.” At that point, Morganna embraced Rose and kissed him on the cheek, noting, “There’s no kissing on the lips in the middle of a baseball diamond.” She then reportedly thanked him and walked away as he stood in shock.
Cottrell didn’t get in trouble for her stunt. The next day, a Cincinnati sports writer referred to her as “Morganna The Kissing Bandit,” and a star was born. According to Pete Rose (via Fox Sports 1’s tweet), ” … for a while, I swear she was bigger than any one baseball player!” In a 2019 interview with USA Today, Morganna had a slightly different memory of how Rose reacted to her approach: “And he turned to me, and I remember exactly what he said, ‘You crazy blanking broad.’ But he used a big word, ‘Are you out of your blanking mind?'” She would go on to rush the field and kiss many more baseball players, including such legends as Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, and George Brett.
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