The rock band Poison had it right – every rose has its thorn. For Pete Rose, that thorn was the vice of gambling.
With the start of the Major League Baseball season and Pete Rose’s 68th birthday on April 14, I felt motivated to briefly elucidate an issue. I believe, this issue has become increasingly significant apropos of the recent baseball steroids scandal.Allow me to bring you up to speed.
Spending most his career with the Cincinnati Reds, Pete Rose eclipsed 4,000 hits and 3,500 games played and made 17 All-Star appearances at an uncanny five different positions: first, second and third base as well as left and right field. He has three rings, three batting titles, one MVP award and two Gold Gloves.
After his playing career ended, he became a manager. It was then that he started betting on baseball.
As a manager for the Reds in 1987, he allegedly bet on his team for almost a third of the season. The commissioner at the time, Bart Giamatti, had Rose investigated, resulting in the Dowd Report that detailed the transgressions. After negotiations, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list amidst the accusations.
A week later, Giamatti died from a heart attack (more ironic than relevant).
To this day the man nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” remains suspended from the game and in turn banned from the Hall of Fame.
Pete Rose was one of the best hitters of all time. He finished with a lifetime .303 batting average. I do not think he is the greatest, but he is in the company of guys like Stan Musial, Ty Cobb and Ted Williams, to name a few (I could add more to this list, but they would be Yankees).
He retired with 4,256 hits in 14,053 at-bats in 3,562 games. Some might argue he is the all-time leader in hits strictly by virtue of attempts. However, give Mario Mendoza 14,000 at-bats and see what happens. That consistency and longevity is a testament to Rose’s ability.
And it is not as if he played soft. Just ask Ray Fosse. Also, after every fourth ball, Rose would run to first base as if to spite the term walk. Another one of his signature moves was sliding headfirst into a base. All of this attests to the fact that he was no lollygagger.
Rose’s performance was not enhanced by the carousing around casinos and his business with bookies. Conversely, there are potential Hall of Famers who used steroids to boost their accomplishments. This includes Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, to name a few (I could add more to this list, but they would be Rangers).
But therein lays the problem. It is not a question of his play; it is an issue with his character.
Rose is vastly different from the eight men in the Black Sox scandal. Betting on your team to win should not be considered dishonorable. He is not fixing the games. Rose didn’t tell his players to win just so he could cash in. He simply had faith and confidence in them.
I understand he didn’t help his cause by denying the allegations for 15 years. Nevertheless, he did finally admit wrongdoing in his autobiography in 2004. Since then Rose has not applied for reinstatement, most likely because Bud Selig is still the commissioner.
The next step is an apology, but Rose will not oblige. If Rose doesn’t feel like he has anything to be sorry for then he shouldn’t. Why force him into an insincere apology? Exhibit A: Alex Rodriguez.
Regardless of how you feel about Rose, he had a genuine Hall of Fame playing career. And the Hall already accommodates the aforementioned Ty Cobb, who was a notorious racist, and confessed spit-baller Gaylord Perry. If they are in, why isn’t Pete Rose?
His journey started in Cincinnati. It should end in Cooperstown.
