Pete Rose in the HOF?

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Posted By: runscott

I definitely put him in the HOF, regardless of his gambling. There are plenty of despicable personalities in the HOF and he would just be another.

I didn't like Rose long before the gambling thing came out - he has character flaws that extend beyond a gambling problem. In '73, I went to a Cincinnati/Houston game and my 7-yr old brother asked Rose to sign a ball, as did several other kids. Rose said he would put his suit in the bus and come right back out. He went to the back of the bus, sat down, and smiled out the window at the kids. Later, as player-manager of the Reds, Cincinnati came to Denver to player their AAA team, the Zephyrs. Rose refused to play, despite loads of cheers and encouragement. We finally started booing him and you could tell that the players on both teams were a bit upset by the whole thing. The gambling thing came out shortly thereafter and I wasn't the least surprised. Still, he goes in the HOF in my opinion, and shouldn't be made to admit what everyone already knows...that he was a great baseball player, a gambler, and a liar.