Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is said to be seriously considering lifting Pete Rose's lifetime ban from Major League Baseball, but a spot in the Hall of Fame might remain out of reach. Although some former players, including Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, have lobbied for the all-time hit king to be reinstated, some members of the Hall's Veterans Committee may not want to see Mr. Hustle enshrined in Cooperstown.
If it were up to the baseball writers, Rose wouldn't have a chance. They have consistently shut out Mark McGwire because of unproven allegations that he took steroids. Rose -- who is no longer eligible to be on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot -- admitted to ESPN in 2007 that he bet on the Reds "every night" while he was manager of the team, an allegation he strenuously denied for 15 years.
If the ban were lifted, he would need approval from 75 percent of the 65 living Hall of Famers to get in. One of them told the Daily News:
I know there are still guys who feel strongly against him, and I don't know if that would change even if Selig clears him."
ESPN The Magazine senior writer Buster Olney writes:
During the past two decades, his behavior has been appalling. He has been nothing less than a lowlife.
Rose knew the rules about gambling. He broke the rules. He was asked about breaking the rules, and he lied, blatantly and often and for more than a decade. Rose publicly lobbied for reinstatement, but when it seemed the commissioner was thinking about bringing him back a few years ago and the time came for him to show proper penance, he chose to use the moment to try to market a book.
Olney says Rose's peers in the Hall of Fame say privately that they would not vote for him to be there with them:
What do you think? If Pete Rose is reinstated into baseball, should he be in the Hall of Fame?
Comments
Pete Rose is a potty-mouthed sleazebag who was hated by many players when he was still in the game. He did the crime, now he needs to do the time. Period. Keep that jerk of the hall.
Say what you want...Pete's record will never be broken. Think about this...Craig Biggio a potential Hall of Famer was a career .281 hitter...pretty damn hard to do. He also played for 20 seasons as a lead off hitter and only had 3060 hits. Rose hit about 1,200 more than that. Now people are more concerned with hitting HR's than they are gaining a base hit. Good Luck rest of Baseball. Pete's record won't be touched before he dies.
Keeping him out is just part of our nation's insatiable need to punish every person for every mistake for the rest of their lives. For a nation allegedly populated by so many Christians, we sure do hate to forgive. Rose has been punished for his crimes, it's time to move past it.
NO, NO, NO....
Once Bud Selig, lifts the "Life Time" Ban on the "OLD Time" players, then maybe and maybe??
Let's give the "Older" players their just rewards first!! Needs to stay out of the "Hall of Fame"!!
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