Keep Pete Rose OUT of the Hall of Fame
11th of October 2016
I can't believe that this is still an issue. It seemed like it was a case closed. There's no question that he was a dedicated player, but he broke the rules. I found him to be a dirty player as well. I'm not a fan of collisions at the plate. The only contact in baseball should be between the bat and ball, not runner and fielder. It's written all over the locker rooms that gambling is not allowed. Let's go down the list of why I don't think he should be in. This is only my opinion, and everyone is entitled to disagree. 1) MLB has made it clear that gambling is illegal in baseball. The crackdown started after the Black Sox Scandal in 1919. While evidence shows that Rose bet on his team to win (unlike the 1919 White Sox being paid to throw the game), there's still a possibility that he paid the other team to throw the game (like the 1919 White Sox). That hasn't been proven, but in MLB's eyes, that's a possibility. Outside influence on the game ruins it for fans who just want to see a good ballgame. Nowadays, with the price for tickets to a game, it's important to keep the integrity of the game in good standing. Yes, I know you're going to bring up PED's. That's next. 2) PED's shouldn't be allowed in the Hall of Fame either. Again, outside influence. Those that have taken PED's and are in should be kicked out. However, for some reason, sports writers who elect inductees see gambling as more scandalous than PED's. I don't agree with that, but that's just how it is.
3) He lied about gambling multiple times. When he first was accused, he denied it at all costs. It was an interview in March of 2007 that he finally admitted he gambled. Everyone already knew. MLB found all sorts of evidence. At first, he only admitted to betting as a manager and never as a player. Then evidence later showed he bet as a player, too. I can't say for sure if he told the truth from the beginning that he would have gotten a less severe punishment, but lying definitely didn't help the cause.
4) We can't make exceptions for any rules. Making exceptions causes more loopholes. I know exceptions are made for rules in every day life. And yes, there are times when exceptions should be made. Not in this case though. He knew gambling was and still is illegal in baseball. And making exceptions doesn't teach the kids who grow up loving the game that rules must be followed. 5) He's already in a Hall of Fame. He's in the WWE Hall of Fame, and he shouldn't even be in that one. All he ever did there was get tombstoned by a wrestler named Kane (Undertaker's half brother).
Maybe the dust will never settle on this one. Maybe he'll be let in some day. He might be dead when it happens if it happens. Ron Santo followed the rules and wanted badly in the Hall of Fame. He deserved it, but he never got to see it. He died before he was finally elected. That's more of a tragedy than Pete Rose not getting in.
