Should Pete Rose be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? More accurately, should the lifetime ban imposed by then Commissioner Bart Giamatti be reversed? Why should it?
Things were different back in 1989 when Rose agreed to sign the document banning him from baseball for life. No one was holding a gun to his head. There were signed in every MLB clubhouse spelling out the consequences and penalties for gambling. Why is baseball the bad guy?
The agreement Rose signed stated:
…the Commissioner, recognizing the benefits to Baseball from a resolution of this matter, orders and directs that Peter Edward Rose be subject to the following disciplinary sanctions, and Peter Edward Rose, recognizing the sole and exclusive authority of the Commissioner and that it is in his interest to resolve this matter without further proceedings, agrees to accept the following disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Commissioner.
a. Peter Edward Rose is hereby declared permanently ineligible in accordance with Major League Rule 21 and placed on the Ineligible List.
b. Nothing in this Agreement shall deprive Peter Edward Rose of the rights under Major League Rule 15(c) to apply for reinstatement. Peter Edward Rose agrees not to challenge, appeal or otherwise contest the decision of, or the procedure employed by, the Commissioner or any future Commissioner in the evaluation of any application for reinstatement.
c. Nothing in this agreement shall be deemed either an admission or a denial by Peter Edward Rose of the allegation that he bet on any Major League Baseball game.
The entire statement can be viewed here: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/p_rosea.shtml
Sure, Rose was “declared ineligible when he was a manager, not when he played. On Sunday President Trump tweeted that Rose should be put into the Hall. There’s no question whether Rose’s playing career is HOF-worthy. Pete broke Ty Cobb’s all-time record for most hits in MLB history. Cobb, like many hall-of-famers, was no angel. Neither was Babe Ruth. If only good guys got voted into the hall then Dale Murphy and Fred McGriff would’ve been inducted years ago.
Many of the details of the Rose case are long forgotten. How Rose refused to even meet with Commission Giamatti. How Giamatti passed away only eight days after ruling on Rose. Giamatti’s replacement and close friend Fay Vincent said the case killed Giamatti (less than two months later Vincent had to manage over the San Francisco earthquake just before the start of a World Series game in Candlestick Park). Many label Giamatti as the bad guy in all this. In fact it was Vincent who extended the Rose ban to include the HOF.
Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa and Eddie Murray and Rafael Palmeiro and Roger Clemens weren’t banned from baseball for setting records and putting up huge numbers while juiced on steroids, but they’ve yet to be elected to the HOF. In recent years Bonds and Clemens have received higher percentages of votes, but still far short of the 75% needed for induction. Should we let all the rule-breakers in?
Thirty years late, we live in a different age. People’s idea of truth, right and wrong, following rules, and details are different nowadays. New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed an openness to reopening the Rose case. The clock is ticking, as Pete is now in his mid-70’s. He admits to still being a gambler.
Personally I really don’t care. I appreciate Rose the player, for his hustle, his longevity, his hard-nosed style of play, his versatility – he was an all-star at four different positions. Not a fan of the way he made everything into a money-making proposition, but different strokes for different folks. Many are on Team Rose. Count me Team Giamatti. It was the late commissioner’s quote that rekindled my love for baseball that remains strong today:
Would it be best for baseball to reinstate Rose? That’s more my concern. I’m more of an old school black and white, right and wrong kind of guy. It was Rose who signed the document, agreeing to be banned for life. The game needs all the positive publicity it can muster.
Shoeless Joe Jackson is also still banned for life. There’s evidence he was innocent of the conspiracy charges that got he and his more guilty teammates banned for life. If Rose is pardoned, its probably time to free Jackson as well.
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