Former Major League Baseball great and the ex-manager of the Cincinnati Reds expressed disappointments over the decision of Commissioner Rob Manfred to uphold his lifetime ban in the league but admitted that he put the new top official "in a tough spot to make a judgment on my situation."

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Rose held a news conference following Manfred's conclusion to decline his petition for reinstatement in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

"I'm disappointed, obviously disappointed," The Baseball icon said. "But I will continue to be the best baseball fan in the world. ... I'm a baseball player. I'm a baseball person, and that's never gonna change."

According to an ESPN report, the sport's all-time hits king thanked the new commissioner and described their many meetings over the past year as "cordial". He also jokingly proposed that he "should actually be the commissioner of baseball," given how much he watches and promotes the sport.

Manfred released a three-page statement on Monday explaining why Rose's plea for reinstatement was rejected noting the petitioner's failure to "reconfigure" his life adequately since the lifetime ban in August 24, 1989.

The commissioner cited Rose's continued gambling and evidence that he bet on games when he was playing for and managing the Reds. The 74 year-old Rose admitted Tuesday that he still recreationally bets on baseball but said he thinks he can help others.

While Manfred had the authority on whether Rose could be reinstated, he made it clear that his decision was separate from that of the Hall of Fame, which in 1991 adopted a rule excluding individuals on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted into it.

Rose passed Ty Cobb as career hits leader with No. 4,192 on Sept. 11, 1985, and he finished his career with 4,256 hits. Rose played for the Reds from 1963 to 1978 and 1984 to 1986, acting as both a player and a manager from 1984 to 1986 and continuing as just a manager until 1989.

Tagsmlb, Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds, MLB News, MLB 2015, Hall of fame, Baseball, All-time Hits, Ty Cobb