Careful of those libel laws if you're writing fiction about real, living people. Someone might do a Google search on Pete Rose and have your article pop up. I'm not saying you've libelled anyone yet.
To prove libel, at least in the US, you have to show that the writer knowingly and maliciously told falsehoods for the purpose of misleading the public. This story is a farce. No one would think it was a real "news" story.
