Pete Rose who most likely will never see the Hall of Fame once said “Im totally over the Hall of Fame” (image from Fox Business)
So What About Pete Rose?
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
The no-election this week of guys like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and others that played during the 80’s and 90’s and have very impressive records, during the “steroids era” has brought back all the arguments by fans from 9 to 90 about why they should have been elected or not and the injustice of it all.
Among fans, like everything is sports, it depends if the player is one of your favorites that played for your favorite team, then you will “forget” all those things. For example, if the Giants took a poll of their fans today, if Barry Bonds should be elected or not, I have little doubt that it will be a Yes vote by at least 90 percent. They’re fans.
For the sake of argument, let’s imagine Bonds was a Dodger, then 90% of the Giants fans would be happy he did not get elected. This is typical “fan-hood 101”.
Pete Rose is banned for life and only maybe in another life he could be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Late last year he said that betting on baseball (which he says he now does legally at casinos) “was the only mistake I’ve made”. His numbers are solid and without the gambling, he would have been inducted in the first ballot many years ago, and probably unanimously.
Nobody is close to 4,256 hits in a 24-year career in which ten times he hit 200 or more hits in a season and ended with a .303 batting average. Mr. Hustle was all about playing every day, every inning, every minute, with the passion that made him famous. But, gambling in baseball is the cardinal sin.
Hypocrisy? Of course, in 2018 MLB announced that MGM has become its official gambling partner. Commissioner Rob Manfred: “there’s been a huge change in public opinion in sports gambling”. Draft Kings is a daily fantasy game in baseball where you can score win points and win money, by drafting a lineup of MLB players while staying within the salary cap.
But, at the end it is a game, is far from the same as playing in the majors and betting while you are playing. Pete Rose has said in the past “I never bet against the Reds”. But it doesn’t matter, because we know gambling in baseball is a well established no-no, which might as well be written in stone.
There has always been cheating in sports (all sports) and probably there will always be. Specifically in baseball from fixing/throwing of the 1919 World Series by eight Chicago White Sox players, to the steroids era, to a few years ago when the Houston Astros were accused and punished for stealing signs electronically during games.
For baseball to induct Pete Rose in Cooperstown, it would have to be a major change of rules and that is not happening, and might never be when it comes to gambling (which by the way it is a serious addiction to many, not only in baseball but in every sporting event conceivable) I doubt there will be a change during most our us lifetimes.
As humans we are all flawed. I have never seen anybody walk on water yet and the only time I could find something similar is in The Holy Bible (Mathew 14:25) the most influential, most sold and read book on earth, the best seller list of the NY Times is just a ‘speck in the universe” compared to “the book”.
The Hall of Fame Today’s Game Committee is scheduled to meet later this year and players that were in the game from 1988 to 2016 will be considered. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have a good chance.
Although it might not be a dishonor to be elected that way, another great San Francisco Giant, Orlando Cepeda, as well as others were elected in what I like to call “the second election.” However, the second time around doesn’t have the same prestige and impact as it was originally meant to be on electing superstars.
In my heart, I feel for Pete Rose, I saw him play and I covered him, but such are the rules, and I honestly believe he knows he will never be in Cooperstown. For the record: the following infield-compadres of Mr. Hustle during the “Big Red Machine”dominance of the 1970’s are all in the Hall of Fame; Johnny Bench (C), Tony Pérez (1B) and Joe Morgan (2B).
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