KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? Pete Rose was as unpredictable as Monday’s weather during his promotional appearance at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Major-league baseball’s all-time hit leader bounced back and forth between topics ranging from his continued love of the sport he played for 24 years to his recent book, in which he admitted he gambled on the game. Betting on baseball was what earned him the infamous lifetime ban from the game.

“I’m glad I’m not pitching tonight by the looks of those flags out there,” quipped Rose, who, despite a stiff wind blowing out toward left field, had no trouble when he threw out the first pitch before the Kansas City T-Bones’ game against the Schaumburg (Ill.) Flyers.

“They better have a sinker-ball pitcher tonight,” Rose said with a smile. “Not a typical Monday, but it’s fun to go to the ballpark.”

While the weather didn’t cooperate — the game was called in the fourth inning with the Flyers ahead, 4-3 — Rose eagerly did during his half hour Q&A session with media members.

“How many writers in here can say they had a No. 1 best-seller?” Rose said in one of several comedic barbs to the press.

Aside from his jokes about his book, “My Prison Without Bars,” which was released in early January, Rose was serious about the issue of his reinstatement from the sport he has been banned from since 1989.

“If you’d have asked me,” Rose said, “I would have swore that I was going to get reinstated after the World Series last year.”

After admitting to MLB commissioner Bud Selig that Rose bet on baseball in November 2002, he said he thought he would be reinstated before his book was released.

Major-league baseball all-time hit leader Pete Rose jokingly makes it clear that he never bet on football during a news conference. Rose was at the Kansas City T-Bones' CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Monday in Kansas City, Kan. In addition to fielding questions from the media, Rose also tossed the ceremonial first pitch.

When a reporter asked Rose if his life had changed since the book’s release, he said: “No, not at all.

“Did you read it?” Rose countered. “Well, it’s hard to comment about the book if you didn’t read it. It’s only $14. What, did you want us to send you a copy? I read your paper.”

After that tease, the man known to baseball fans as “Charlie Hustle” quickly continued his quips in response to questions about his hit record, steroids and the 1980 World Series between Rose’s Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals.

“Baseball’s changed,” said the 17-time All-Star, who broke Ty Cobb’s career-hits record in 1985 and finished with 4,256 for his career. “Guys aren’t trying to see how many hits they can get in a year, they’re trying to see how many home runs they can hit a year.

“I was worried about Ted Williams when they put him on ice, because he’s the only one who could have caught my record,” Rose added. “But when I found out they cut off his head … forget it. Let the guy die.”

Rose also cut up the crowd with his response about baseball’s steroid issue.

“I can name two people who took steroids, Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco, because they admitted it,” Rose said.

Former Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose, left, chats with Kansas City T-Bones manager Dirty Al Gallagher. Rose met with the media, players and fans Monday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

“I don’t care about steroids, I don’t know about steroids. It’s going to take more than steroids for them to break my record. My record is a longevity record.”

For a player who played in the big leagues during the administration of six presidents — and in six World Series — Rose said few fans probably remembered the Phillies 4-2 win over the Royals in 1980 Fall Classic.

“What do you remember about that series?” Rose asked. “That George Brett had hemorrhoids. What a boring series that was.”

Rose became straight-faced when he talked about the importance of getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame while he is still alive, unlike his good friend Leo Durocher — who was voted in by the Baseball Veterans three years after his death.

“But my family will always know how I played the game and so will my fans,” Rose said.

He said no matter what people think of him, it was his duty to continue to spread the attitude with which he played the game to today’s younger players.

“The part I enjoy is being in the clubhouse talking to the players,” said Rose, whose ban from baseball doesn’t limit him from making appearances in independent leagues like the Northern League, which both the T-Bones and the Flyers are members of.

“I’m just trying to get them to realize the opportunity. It doesn’t matter where you’re playing, what level of baseball you’re playing — if you catch on fire, the opportunity to get to the big leagues is there because there’s 30 teams. They have to understand that.”