“Every Rose Has Its Thorns,” and Pete, thorns and all, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame
To baseball fans, Pete Rose is a polarizing figure. As someone who grew up watching and at times hating him for his ability, Rose was an undeniable Hall of Famer. In the 1970s, my Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds were two of the best baseball teams in the major leagues. Both teams won two World Series and multiple division crowns, with the Reds winning six and the Pirates five. They competed against each other a lot, so I became very familiar with Rose and the entire Cincinnati team.
Besides being banned from baseball, Rose is most well-known for plowing down Ray Fosse and scoring the winning run in the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star game. That one moment in time encapsulated the hustle and grit that characterized his entire career.
Rose was a switch hitter and is MLB's all-time leader in hits 4,256, games played 3,562, at-bats 14,053, singles 3,215, and outs 10,328. He won three World Series championships, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Glove Awards, and the Rookie of the Year Award.
He made 17 All-Star appearances at an unprecedented five positions: as a second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman, and first baseman. He won two Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder in 1969 and 1970. Additionally, he holds the record for the third-longest hitting streak in MLB history at 44 games and is the last player to hit safely in 40 or more consecutive games.
To put a few of those records in perspective, Ty Cobb had 4,189 hits, 67 fewer than Rose, and they are the only two that ever reached the 4,000-hit plateau. Cal Ripken, whose nickname is “The Ironman” because he played in 2,632 consecutive games over 16 years, must have worn himself out because, despite that incredible record, he is only 9th on the all-time list with 3,001 games, 561 games or a full 3.46 season’s worth of games behind Rose.
Despite being one of the greatest players in baseball history, Pete Rose faced permanent ineligibility from the sport in August 1989, the last year he managed and three years after retiring as a player. This penalty came amid accusations that he had gambled on baseball games while both playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team.
In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to prohibit anyone on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, having previously excluded such players through an informal agreement among voters. After years of denying the allegations, Rose admitted in 2004 that he had bet on baseball, including on the Reds.
The issue of his election to the Hall of Fame remained continuous for the rest of his life, which ended last September at the age of 83. Over the last few years, many lobbied for his banishment to be rescinded. Yes, he had gambled on games, which is undeniably wrong, but Rose arguably played the game harder than any other modern-day player, and for many, myself included, that earned him a spot.
Those arguing Rose’s case wanted him to be enshrined before his death, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred took the predictably safe approach and never allowed Rose to enjoy the honor he earned on the field.
On Tuesday, Manfred reinstated Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and fifteen others who had previously been “permanently” banned. I’m guessing that Manfred decided that the players' “permanent” status was reached when they died.
Manfred actually thought that he needed to defend this “non-call” decision, stating:
“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 (An MLB regulation barring gambling and other misconduct) have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.”
Wow, that was a Gutsy call, Rob. All Manfred did was choose the path of least resistance. He is the perfect example of someone who tries desperately not to rock the boat of liberals. He sides with the left to appear open-minded while disregarding common sense whenever a judgment call needs to be made.
Manfred imposed lenient penalties following the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal, downplaying its significance by referring to the championship trophy as “a piece of metal.” He oversaw ridiculous COVID protocols that banned high-fives, fist bumps, and spitting among players. Under his woke leadership, nearly every Major League team has hosted LGBTQ pride events, including one organized by the Los Angeles Dodgers that mocked Christianity, particularly targeting Catholics with a group of perverts dressed as nuns.
In 2021, Manfred made the unjustifiable decision to move the All-Star Game away from Atlanta, succumbing to false claims from the left that Georgia's recently passed election integrity laws amounted to "Jim Crow on steroids." He has not apologized for that decision, which reportedly cost Atlanta’s economy around $100 million.
Manfred’s lack of internal fortitude guarantees that every decision coming out of the Commissioner’s office will be left-leaning and as noncontroversial as possible for radicals. The decision not to reinstate Pete Rose while he was alive demonstrated a total lack of backbone and enhanced nothing concerning the game of baseball.
Manfred had the opportunity to acknowledge Rose’s accomplishments on the field, but instead, he ensured that the most significant thing we will remember him for is the mistake he made.
1989 was 36 years ago. Over that period of time, think about all of the athletes and Hollywood types who have committed more egregious sins than Rose did and were accepted again by society. Rose tarnished only his own reputation; he did not tarnish the game like those in the “steroid era” did. There are no asterisks next to any of his on-field accomplishments.
This posthumous concession was not a gracious gesture by Manfred. It was a cowardly act and typical of his leadership.
“Every Rose Has Its Thorns,” and Pete, thorns and all, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
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