I feel so useless, I don’t really have anything to say about the whole Pete Rose thing that others haven’t already said. Still, if this forum is a place for me to babble endlessly about what’s on my mind I may as well be out with it.
I have a soft spot for Pete Rose. He may be the first ballplayer that I actually knew who he was and why he was special. I would have been approaching full sentience right about the time the Phils made their successful 1980 World Series run and Rose featured prominently in my mind in the race to the title. Everything that happened since is pretty much irrelevant to me. I can’t figure out for the life of me why someone would leave Philly for Cincinatti anyhow.
Regardless of my sentiments, Pete Rose should not be reinstated; and if he is reinstated he definitely should not be elected to the Hall of Fame. As so many have already said, baseball’s cardinal rule is “thou shalt not gamble on the sport.” It’s pretty plainly spelled out: if you gamble on a game you’re not involved in you get tossed for a year, if you gamble on a game you are involved in you’re out for life. Black and white, kids. That’s the way it is.
Is it unfortunate Pete Rose won’t be in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely. It seems odd to have one of the greats not in the Hall, just ask Shoeless Joe Jackson. But the rules are the rules, despite what our “if it feels good, do it” society might want you to think. Without the rules we really are on the road to anarchy.
So, sorry Charlie. No brass plaque for you.
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