Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame

[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.

[william_9]

Pete bet on his own team as a manager. I can't see how that is any different than betting as a player, and actually, it's worse. He had control of the game in ways that no single player had. The fact that he was not taking the field is meaningless. He's like a petulant child these days constantly tugging at the media's pant leg.

I like J. McMurry's idea regarding the lifetime ban. Let him spend his days regretting his decision (it's not as though he can't make ends meet). Somewhere down the line, after Leo Durocher trips him up rounding third, and Ray Fosse can walk over and tag him out in front of the big home plate in the sky, once that happens, he should be placed on the next ballot. If he gets in, he gets in.

Oh, yeah. And Bud Selig will most definitely be immortalized in the plaque gallery.

[docpatlv]

Doing a quick bit of research, I found...

"Current rules ask voters to consider a player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, CHARACTER, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."

So William, based on that criteria alone, perhaps Rose should not be allowed in, but then what about the racists (Cobb, Anson), alcoholics (Mantle), adulterers (Ruth), spitballers-vaseliners-emory boarders (Niekro, Perry).

What is your take on the "Character" issue?

Mike

[chaddurbin]

i think you're missing the point...that rose himself agreed and signed a document stating he's barred for life from baseball. his stats is hof-worthy, too bad he took himself out of the running! for him to make a scene now after giamatti has passed away is a disgrace.

[ChiefBenderForever]

I have no problem with Rose not being in the hall as long as they remove Anson, Cobb, Speaker, and a few others who played as hard as Rose and had the stats but had major character flaws which included gambling as well.

[william_9]

I think ultimately what happens is that the character of the player is judged using the standard of their time. No one would condone the actions of a Cap Anson or Ty Cobb these days, and their careers would probably end as a result. Albert Joey Belle is a pretty good modern day example. If he were a decent human being he'd probably have a lot more opportunities and thus a better shot at the Hall.

The list of questionable off-field, and sometimes on-field, offenses that are represented in Cooperstown are shocking considering the status that these names hold. However, when viewed within the context of their time, a racist in 1910 represents a huge portion of society. It's not right, but it's reality. Even a drunk like Mantle would be run into rehab today. That option didn't really exist in the 60's. The issue was squashed, swept under the rug, and forgotten. Heroes weren't made to look weak back then.

As for modern day voting, it's my belief that the game, and how the player represents it, is what matters. Pete Rose disrespected the game by betting on games that he had direct control of. That's not good for baseball. Neither is having Barry Bonds represent a generation of "me first" players. I think Bonds will pay the same price. Then again, no one likes Bonds as a human being either.

[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).