4,256 hits. 3,562 games played. 44 game hit streak. Pete Rose’s career will not be defined by any of these stats, but 1 word: betting. The 17-time all star was banned by the MLB after admitting to betting on games while he was managing the Reds in 1987. Recently, a report also suggests that he frequently bet on games during his final season in 1986. So my question is why do we throw out the 24 year career of the best hitter of all time all over some stupid decisions in his last year and when he wasn’t even playing? This ban has been upheld through the steroid era, where great players like Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire were all caught using steroids. The difference is even after using drugs that allow them to hit the ball further and improve their stats, they still are eligible for the hall of fame. While McGwire’s Hall of Fame support has never topped 11% and the other two are not believed to make it either, it bothers me that they are even eligible. The problem is that betting on games is the MLB’s cardinal sin, and can lead to indefinite banishment. Pete Rose’s only hope is reinstatement by Robert Manfred. But isn’t it time to forgive? He has been banned for the past 26 years for betting on games while he was a manager and “likely as a player” according to a study done 25 years later. If we aren’t going to let him in as a manager, let him in as a player. The article “Isn’t it time to forgive Pete Rose and put him in Hall of Fame?” tries to define gambling as an addiction, paralleling Rose’s problem to alcoholism or drug addiction, which are offenses that don’t get you kicked out of the league forever. The author uses quotes from the Mayo Clinic to show that the MLB is punishing Rose for his addiction, rather than his decision making. This train of thought makes the reader to believe the MLB is victimizing Rose for a character flaw, rather than him breaking the rules. I agree with the author’s notion that the BBWAA should determine if he should be reinstated, rather than the the commisioner. New Commisioner Robert Manfred considered the idea, but was clearly too scared as the new guy to make that big of a decision, and face backlash from the baseball “high-horsers”. A commitee of respected baseball writers that vote on Hall of Famers could clearly handle this Hall of Famers fate too.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/07/13/isn-time-forgive-pete-rose-put-him-hall-fame/PR67ko0tfxG5qT5sWxaztK/story.html
kjk5563 says
I could not agree more with letting him into the Hall, he is one of the greatest hitters of all time. I read once that he was betting on his team to WIN, so the idea of throwing a game for the money does not exist.
cam6505 says
This was a very interesting article topic. I liked how you incorporated many statistics and mentioned that players caught using steroids are still eligible for the hall of fame even though that is a much worse form of cheating.
gvl5144 says
This was a really good article. I agree with you that Pete Rose should be let into the hall of fame. He is easily one of the greatest hitters of all time and his late career gambling shouldn’t tarnish his career.