For one night last weekend, Pete Rose was allowed back into the world of baseball. He was honored by the Cincinnati Reds on the anniversary of his famous (or now infamous?) hit that broke the record of all time hits in baseball history, surpassing the legendary Ty Cobb
But only one night.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
For those of you who don't know, Pete Rose was given a lifetime ban from baseball (he can't coach, manage, work in a front office, or even go to a baseball park) for gambling on baseball during his playing days. The commissioner at the time laid down the lay and implemented this ban, and current commissioner Bud Selig has continued its enforcement.
It is one of the most unjustifiable punishments in sports history. Yes, what Pete Rose did was wrong. He should not have bet on baseball and he should have been punished by the commissioner's office. But a lifetime ban?
Harsh. Especially with the past and current steroids issue. Pete Rose's gambling did NOT affect his performance on the field or give him an unfair advantage. Some people argue that he could have potentially "thrown" games in order to win bets. If he had done that, do you really think he could have broken the record for most hits? When chasing that record, you can't regularly take games off. The closest active player to his record is Derek Jeter and he is still 1,509 hits away from breaking it.
Why aren't the players who have used steroids permanently banned from baseball? Their use of steroids affected their play and made them better than they should have been. Not to mention the fact that is tarnished baseball's reputation. And yet they are still allowed in baseball? How is that fair?
It's not fair.
It's not justice.
It's stubborn ignorance.
It was a knee jerk reaction by a commissioner who is no longer in office. Why not fix it Selig? Ban the main culprits from the steroids era and reinstate Pete Rose into baseball.
That would be the right thing to do.
I agree that the steroid users have tarnished the name of baseball, but to that end, I believe that Pete Rose did as well! He took his own position, and used it to his advantage when it came to gambling. Did it effect his stats? No. Did it effect how good of a player he was? No. Should it effect his standing within the baseball community? Absolutely. He cheated, got caught, and now has to pay the price.
ReplyDeleteBut a lifetime ban from baseball? The man literally cannot even go to watch a baseball game! That is absolutely absurd. People in other sports have done wayyyy worse things and were never banned from even attending a game. I think he should have gotten punished but a lifetime ban seems excessive.
ReplyDeletewhat Rose did was wrong no one argues that, have you ever heard of another baseball player gambling on games?
ReplyDeletelooks like the commissioner did exactly what he was suppose to do protected the standards of his sport.
you shouldn't be saying shame on the old commissioner you should say same on Selig for not following suit and banning some first generation roid users...I don't think it would have gotten to the level of destroying the sport then.
Rose for Hall of Fame. Guy never bet against his own team.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if he's ever allowed to work in baseball again, but his not even being eligible for the Hall of Fame is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteRob, you make an excellent point in that how can the Hall of Fame not allow one of the greatest record holders of all time into the Hall of Fame? Isn't that contradictory to the premise of the Hall of Fame? That being the greatest PLAYERS ever, not the greatest PEOPLE ever.
ReplyDeleteIn case Dave doesn't comment... Ty Cobb killed a man...
ReplyDeletethere was a story like this just on outside the lines because they were talking about Reggie Bush and how USC sent back his Hiesman trophy that he gave back but still displays O.J. Simpson's and I do agree with Brian...Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids and cheating and now he is the hitting coach for the Cardinals.
ReplyDeleteI guess the real issue is that there is no good answer to this. I happen to believe that all these players on steroids did far worse things to the game than Rose did, but i guess the line has to be drawn somewhere. It should be real interesting to see what the Hall of Fame does when they finally have to decide on all the "great" players from the steroids era. I suppose if Pete Rose is out, they should keep them all out too. But can you really have a Hall of Fame with out the best players of a generation? Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, A-Rod... and so on. And where do you draw the line. Do you not let McGwire in because he admitted to it? Can you keep Barry Bonds out despite never admitting to it and never failing a drug test? Its a tough issue because it basically negates a whole era of baseball history if you choose to ignore all those that played then. Perhaps when people realize how much harm steroids did to the game, the whole Pete Rose issue will be revisited. I would be all for him not being allowed back in the game, but allowed in the Hall of fame. I kind of feel like it may not happen until after he dies.
ReplyDeleteI am pro-Pete Rose...the only good thing Bart Giamatti ever did for humanity was provide 50% of Paul Giamatti for us to enjoy on celluloid.
ReplyDeletei don't believe in Karma, but Giamatti did drop dead of a massive heart attack about a month after he banned Rose.
The sports double-standards are ridiculous: juice up, break records, get caught, then get a guilty conscience, mea culpa. however, pick the Pirates over the Expos and YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!
Stab a guy, beat your wife, that's okay. Kill some dogs, YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL!
It's the same kinda crap that kept Albert Belle from winning the 95 and 97 AL MVP awards...his numbers were astronomical, the Tribe made it to the WS both times, but because of his off the field behavior, the "voters" pick Mo Vaughn and Ken Griffey Jr...both good ballplayers and good guys.
RUBBISH. that's why MLB continues to become more and more irrelevant.
REINSTATE PETE!
Kevin
I feel like quoting How I Met Your Mother
ReplyDelete"Now, as most of you know, my Pete Rose Pete Rose Pete Rose baseball has been stolen.
Now, normally, I would scream at everyone until my voice goes, but, maybe that's the wrong reaction here.
Instead, I'm giving my baseball until the end of the day to decide he's homesick or tomorrow morning I'll begin firing three people an hour. And if the thief doesn't believe me, well, then you are gambling more than Pete Rose, major league baseball's all-time hit leader, a man whose absence from the hall of fame is travesty to the entire sports world, ever allegedly did."