Rose Shouldn't Be Thorny Issue for MLB, Hall of Fame
It took Pete Rose more than 15 years to admit he bet on baseball following his 1989 ban for wagering on games as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Two years after that admission, Rose now fesses up that he bet on his own team regularly, which easily could have compromised how he handled game decisions, especially in the late innings.
Because the all-time hits leader took so long to face up to his disregard for a key tenet of the game -- absolutely no gambling to protect the game’s integrity -- Rose’s latest admission seems motivated only by his desire to reach Cooperstown.
It’s true, though, that for perhaps the first time since 1989, Rose appeared contrite in his revealing interview with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann on ESPN Radio.
“I made a big mistake,” said Rose. “It’s my fault. It’s nobody else’s fault.”
Still, Rose’s comments shouldn’t pave the way to Hall of Fame induction. The 1919 Black Sox scandal was a lesson in the importance of protecting the integrity of the game. Gambling is a potentially greater threat to MLB than the drug infractions of players over the years.
Rose’s steadfast arrogance and his disdain when denying allegations suggest he has never felt remorseful. If his years of lying weren’t bad enough, he shared his first admission with the world on the same day that the Hall of Fame announced Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley as its newest members. Upstaging the Hall announcement and selling his admission in a book tell us who is at the center of Pete Rose’s world.
On top of that, Rose’s behavior suggests that he hasn’t admitted or addressed a gambling addiction. Unless it was simply arrogance that allowed Rose to put himself above the law, he has a problem that should keep him from returning to a major league dugout as a manager, a desire he expressed to Patrick and Olbermann this week.
This writer doesn’t believe standing on the steps of the Hall of Fame in August is justified, either. The offenses are serious, and admissions more than 15 years after the fact aren’t reasons to quickly usher him into the Hall.
Comments
It's a tragic shame that so much good that was done on the baseball field can be wiped away by a mistake. However, this mistake, and its coverup took place over years. In addition, we're talking about gambling and the potential destruction of the integrity of the game. This is major stuff that unfortunately overrides everything. I agree completely, Charlie Hustle can't be allowed into Cooperstown... ever.
Posted by: Walter Lis | March 15, 2007 5:10 PM
It's more than a mistake. It's the kind of person he is--a liar and a compulsive gambler with no remorse and no desire to get better.
To be tragic, he'd have to be destroyed by things beyond his control. Pathetic is the only word to describe him. I'd have more empathy for any of the players on performance-enhancing drugs--at least they were trying to make a bigger contribution to the game. Rose was just trying to suck more money out of it.
Posted by: Ron T. | March 18, 2007 11:06 PM
Baseball is a joke when pete rose isnt in the hall of fame what he did on the field is why he should be in.m
Posted by: greg shipe | March 21, 2007 8:28 AM
put pete in hall hrs alltime hit leader one hell of player on the field who gives a dam he bet has nothing to do with hits
Posted by: greg shipe | March 21, 2007 8:30 AM
A player who showed so little regard for the integrity of the game doesn't belong in the Hall. Even as the all-time hits leader, he hasn't represented the game well with his behavior. That counts for something when it comes to being admitted to the game's honoring body. His greed seems to be behind everything he's done publicly. It's so obvious that I believe he'd have trouble getting into the Hall even if baseball reinstated him.
Posted by: TH | March 21, 2007 11:50 AM
As the Hall of Fame's rules now stand, Rose is ineligible for election because he's on Major League Baseball's permanent suspension list.
So for the Hall of Fame, the only question is, Should we change our rules in order to make it possible to elect a man who is a convicted felon (tax evasion), serial liar, and (after 15 years) self-confessed breaker of the game's most fundamental rule, one that is posted in every locker room?
I'm gonna say No.
Posted by: Ron T. | March 21, 2007 12:20 PM
Rose had an addiction such as an alcoholic. Not owning up to being a gambling addict which is the trait of many alcoholics, I can overlook his conduct. He was one of the greatest baseball players of all time and should be admitted to the Hall of Fame on the strength of his sensational performance with the bat and on the field. Roy Conkling, St. Louis, MO.
Posted by: Roy Conkling | March 21, 2007 1:39 PM
WRONG AGAIN DUMMIES!!! GAMBLING ON BASEBALL WILL NEVER HURT THE INTEGRITY OF BASEBALL AS LONG AS IT FOR OR ON THE TEAM YOU ARE REPRESENTING AND ILLEGAL DRUGS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MURDERS AND MAIMING !SMARTEN UP MLB AND IDIOT STUPID PUNK DRUGGIES.
Posted by: William D. LaPan Jr. | March 21, 2007 4:08 PM
I disagree about betting on your own team. If Rose had a particularly large bet on the Reds on a certain night, he might run through his whole bullpen to get that win. That's something he normally wouldn't do. If he does use his entire pen one night and the Reds lose the next game or two in the late innings because his pen is overworked, that's compromising the results of those follow-up games. If those games factor into a pennant race that ends with one team winning by a game or two, the integrity of the game is at risk. That information could be very damaging if it comes to light. That's the reason the rules posted in every pro clubhouse highlight the game's no-gambling policy, and Rose saw that posting every day he was a major leaguer. He thought he was above the game.
Posted by: TH | March 21, 2007 4:38 PM