Pete Rose Poll

[BleedinBlue]

Originally Posted by kmac32

He should be in the Hall of Fame based on his career as a player.

I'm curious about this sentiment. Is there a line? If a clear cut hall of famer committed mass murder after his career but before elgible for the ballot should he be inducted into the hall based on baseball only, ignoring the heinous act? OJ Simpson comes to mind. What if the timing with OJ had been different? Should the player still be honored?

[Topps206]

Originally Posted by BleedinBlue

I'm curious about this sentiment. Is there a line? If a clear cut hall of famer committed mass murder after his career but before elgible for the ballot should he be inducted into the hall based on baseball only, ignoring the heinous act? OJ Simpson comes to mind. What if the timing with OJ had been different? Should the player still be honored?

Tough as it is to say, he'd still be a Hall of Famer. I don't like O.J. Period. That said, having watched footage of him, the way he ran and the stuff he did as a player, few ever did it better. Even though he's a horrible human being, he was the complete opposite of that as an athlete.

[BleedinBlue]

Originally Posted by Topps206

Tough as it is to say, he'd still be a Hall of Famer. I don't like O.J. Period. That said, having watched footage of him, the way he ran and the stuff he did as a player, few ever did it better. Even though he's a horrible human being, he was the complete opposite of that as an athlete.

While I agree Simpson was a hall of famer as a player I do not believe that he would have been inducted if the timing had been different. The NFL would never have allowed itself to honor somebody guilty of such an act. Regardless of qualifications.

[DixieBaseball]

I have been a Reds fan since I was a kid. I loved watching Pete play the game, but don't believe he deserves to be in the HOF right now. The rules are very clear. He broke them repeatedly, then his latest comments were he put the new Commissioner in a tough spot since he still bets on baseball. I am actually in a sick way sorta glad he won't get in and it appears it won't happen in his lifetime at least and that is perfectly ok with me. I like the idea of him and Joe being the 2 outcasts from the HOF. It makes their Legend more unique to me and I think it makes for a more interesting piece of history. Especially decades from now. I do however believe and predict that decades from now Pete and Joe both get in via special committee. (Rose will be dead when this happens). So, let the Legend grow as Joe's has over the next several decades, then the hearts will bleed, and both get a Hall pass.

[Topps206]

Originally Posted by BleedinBlue

While I agree Simpson was a hall of famer as a player I do not believe that he would have been inducted if the timing had been different. The NFL would never have allowed itself to honor somebody guilty of such an act. Regardless of qualifications.

If so then the Hall of Fame would be hypocrites since they are supposed to judge purely on on field accomplishments and not what happened off of it. If all of it happened when he was up for election, I'd have voted for O.J., though very begrudgingly. I hope he spends the rest of life behind bars.

[Touch'EmAll]

You know, it is the Hall of "FAME". As a player was Pete Rose famous? Seems ok with me for him to be banned for life for anything participatory baseball related. But you cannot deny he was ways more famous than a whole lot of players already in.

Same goes for Joe J. and Bo Jackson - both Famous in the truest sense of the word.

I would like to see all of them in the hall - because they are a part of significant baseball history.

And for them along with the steroid crowd, well, thats what asterisks are for.

[pbspelly]

It really amazes me that they are keeping him out on "character" grounds from breaking a rule that is designed as a trip-wire. Gambling itself is not deemed harmful to the game unless it affects the game. The fear is that if gambling is allowed, it will lead to players and managers throwing games or cheating, as we saw in the early days of the 20th century. So players and managers are prohibited from gambling in order to ensure that they don't go that one step farther and harm the game.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever accused Pete Rose of cheating or throwing games. At most, he is guilty of using insider information that he gleaned as a player and manager to gain an unfair advantage in his betting. He was not gaining an unfair advantage against his baseball opponents, just against bookies and his gambling opponents. The bookies ought to be the ones upset. They ought to ban him from the gambling Hall of Fame. His only harm to the game of baseball was that he broke a rule and set a poor example to little kids. That may be reason not to admire or emulate him, but not to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

[mattsey9]

Originally Posted by BleedinBlue

While I agree Simpson was a hall of famer as a player I do not believe that he would have been inducted if the timing had been different. The NFL would never have allowed itself to honor somebody guilty of such an act. Regardless of qualifications.

Ray Lewis pled guilty to trying to cover up a murder, so I guess we will find out soon.

[Nashvol]

If I was on the witness stand and admitted to a crime that would lead to a decision my friends or I didn't like, those friends' nor my own whining about what others have or have not done is not a viable defense and would not have an impact.

Four Commisioners have not overturned the original ban. In my opinion, Pete Rose is his own worst enemy and I take great delight in believing he will never know the Hall of Fame...