Well, I see that Pete Rose has petitioned the new Commissioner for reinstatement to baseball. For those who’ve forgotten, Rose was banned for life back in the late 20th Century (Geez, has it actually been long enough to be in another century?) because he allegedly bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Later on, in his book, he admitted it was true.
There are a lot of comments on the matter, but I’m going to suggest you go to Bleeding Royal Blue at
https://mudshvlst.wordpress.com
It’s a site that normally looks over the goings on of the Kansas City Royals. But he’s just done an article titled “Every Rose has a Thorn.” He sums up nicely the case against Rose being reinstated and, upon reinstatement, being eligible for the Hall of Fame. Go read it. I’d like to say I wrote it, but I didn’t. Wish I had. It sums up very nicely the opposition to Rose. Check it out.
Tags: Pete Rose
Verdun2's Blog 
March 19, 2015 at 8:47 am
Could not agree more. The rules prohibiting gambling by uniformed personnel is no less necessary today than it was when Judge Landis was excusing people from further participation. There was, nor is there now, any reason to give Pete Rose preferential treatment.
March 19, 2015 at 10:57 am
I found this article yesterday, and I had the same thought: I wish I had written it myself. Plus, to reinstate Pete Rose would lead to questions about re-opening the Black Sox scandal and so on.
March 19, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Rules are rules. But, if we’re reopening Pete Rose, then, by golly, let’s talk about Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Did you know that Hoarce Fogel, the owner of the Phillies, was permanently banned from baseball in 1912 for badmouthing the umpires and saying they were making bad calls that helped the Giants? (You probably already knew this, but it was new to me …)
March 19, 2015 at 12:36 pm
I was a BIG Pete Rose fan during his career. Rose was the most exciting player in baseball. He was full of energy and piss and vinegar, a real character! It was never dull when Pete was around. I loved the way he sprinted down to first base on a walk. He baseball and what made it such a great game. He LOVED the game, and he enthusiastically was baseball’s biggest promoter.
However, I have very mixed feelings. I’m afraid that if Pete Rose gets into the Hall of Fame, then people (including the voters) will rationalize that if a gambler gets in, then why not a steroid user? I’M not rationalizing that way; I think that there’s a big difference. But I fear that many others, mainly the people with clout (such as the hall of fame voters) will feel differently.
So I have very mixed feelings.
The whole thing with Pete Rose which started in 1989, has always reminded me of the fictional Philip Nolan, “The Man Without A Country”. Pete loved baseball more than anybody, and has been shut out. Just like in “The Man Without A Country”, Phillip Nolan says that nobody loved America more than he, I think that Pete Rose has the same predicament. Nobody loved baseball more than Charlie Hustle. I know it from the 78 RPM records that Bing Crosby recorded in 1947. I listened to it as a kid about 25 years later. The analogy might seem like a stretch to some, but I don’t.
Glen
March 19, 2015 at 7:22 pm
i think Rose’s new country is appropriately las vegas.
March 19, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Gamblers seem to resemble religious sorts; the ones on their knees, fists open, begging, pleading and what not; probably a lot of pacing and shaking too; looing over their shoulders. I love the sort. We used to call our fellow kin like that as hot plates. Rose had a .500 record or better as manager of the Communist Reds,no? and wasn’t he gambling for the Reds to win? Where is the sin in that? Seems like a manager willing to go the extra 10,000 dollars for his players.
March 19, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Just finished reading the link you provided to us for the article. Thanks for sending that along. Fine article, and I couldn’t agree more with the writer. Rose is the one guy I’d most like to see kept out of the HOF for life.