Wednesday, September 20, 2006

So Sorry

Pete Rose signed a bunch of baseballs with the inscription "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" but claims he got zero dollars from it. Now 30 of those balls are going to be auctioned off.
Just another case of Rose being his own worst enemy when it comes to getting into the Hall of Fame.





I will use this space to restate my position on Pete Rose and his eligibility in the Hall of Fame.
1) He should never be allowed to participate in Major League Baseball ever again.
2) He should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame because the rules at the time he committed the infraction included banishment and permanent ineligibility from the Hall as the punishment for the crime he committed.
3) However, if I ruled the world I would changed that rule and allow his induction for his on-field achievements but his plaque would contain a line indicating his that he was banned for life for betting on the game. Maybe it would say "Never stopped hustling, on the field and off."
4) While I have little or no evidence to support this claim, I believe that Pete Rose bet against the Reds (at least one time). I believe Bart Giamatti knew about this and the two of them made a private agreement to suppress that info (because it served no one interests) and to repeal his banishment in a year's time. Giamatti's death ruined that plan and his replacements held firm to what they believed to be Giamatti's convictions.

1 comment:

Mike said...

You bet on baseball and you are banned from the game. It is that simple. I don't think it ever said anything about whether you were playing the game or managing it when you bet on the game. With that said, he should not ever get in the HOF.