Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame

[GrayGhost]

I agree, but I think he should remain banned from working in baseball and a notation made.

Shoeless Joe, also, yes, He DID take the money, but to my knowledge did NOT play poorly or throw any games with his play. Of course, he did know about the fix too, so its a tough choice.

Im curious as to other people's opinions on Joe and Pete and the HOF.

[perezfan]

Absolutely, Rose should be in.

But I agree that he should not be allowed to ever coach or manage (which he very much wants to do). This way, his incredible accomplishments are properly realized, but his lifetime punishment is still severe and meaningful.

The debate will go on forever, but I feel that PEDs which enhance performance on the field are quite different (and more damning) than the post-career gambling issue. Just my opinion...

[Frank A]

Rose is a bum and should never get in. Even worse for a manager to be betting on his team or the other.

[Chris-Counts]

Add my name to the list of Rose supporters. The Hall of Fame should get out of the business of judging players based on their moral shortcomings. The hall is filled with players, managers and executives who exhibited questionable moral behavior that matched or exceeded Rose's. I find the notion Bud Selig is the guy who's judging Rose particularly disturbing. This is the same guy who tried to contract the Twins because his pal Carl Pohlad wanted to make a bundle off the deal. His scheme died when it was discovered that Carl loaned Bud $3 million. Mark my words, one day Bud's cronies will be trying to put him in the Hall of Fame ...

[J.McMurry]

It was a lifetime ban. Put Jackson on the ballot for the vet committee now, and once Rose passes, put him on their ballot. If either is elected there should be a notation on their plaque that they were banned from baseball. No way Rose should be allowed to personally profit from being a HOFer or ever hold an official job in MLB.

and I agree, Air Bud's boys will make a push to get him in the hall in the future, and that would be the worst travesty of all.

[nolemmings]

never!

[chaddurbin]

pete rose AGREED to the lifetime ban that includes any chance of HOF membership...with the late commish. now he wants to weasel his way back in? i'd let bonds mcgwire et al in before rose.

[docpatlv]

My take on the whole HOF issue is this....there is a contingent that sits on their high horses believing that what Pete Rose did is the ultimate sin. I don't condone what Rose did in his post-playing days, but having said that, is it not possible that there are already-enshrined HOF members who have done what most people would consider "worse acts". Are there not HOF'ers who were blatant racists, abusive husbands, alcoholics, drug-abusers, adulterers, etc?

I guess my moral compass is set to different standards, but I would much rather be in the presence of someone with a gambling addiction than someone who hits their wife or embraces the hatred of others based solely on the color of their skin. We are not all angels, surely we have done things in our personal lives or workplace that may not constitute "model" behavior.

America's beloved Michael Jordan has had serious gambling problems, as well as other notable athletes. Oh, I know, Pete bet on baseball...is there such a thing as forgiveness? I can't pretend to know what Rose's thoughts were when his mistakes were brought into the spotlight. Should Pete have confessed immediately, probably, but we have all made mistakes that we did not confess to right away or at all. Has anyone ever made a mistake at their job that they did not admit to for fear of being reprimanded, or worse being fired?

All I know is that Rose squeezed out every bit of talent he possessed every day. When I see modern-day players pussy-foot around and not give it their all, it bothers the sh!t out of me. As a PLAYER, nobody gave more effort than Rose.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at this...I'm not sure what criteria the Hall uses to enshrine players, but if there is anything at all that mentions "moral conduct" or a "moral code", to be fair, we better start digging up dirt on everyone and start pulling some of those players out of there.

And for those who feel that Pete has not paid his debt to baseball, take a good look in the mirror...do you see perfection? Rose belongs in the Hall.

Edited to add: To put things into a bit more perspective, every day murderers and pedophiles are being released back into the real world (you know...the whole debt to society and forgiveness thing).