Pete Rose SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame

I heard this idea a while back and I still like it. Yes, put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame....after he is dead. And don't tell him about it, either. Let him die thinking he never got in.

The game's all-time leader in hits belongs in the Hall of Fame, but he doesn't deserve the opportunity to enjoy it.

 

That's what I said. At least one of you fuckin' guys agrees with me.

 

It wouldn't bother me if Rose never got in. I think there is a mountain of evidence (and I just re-read the dowd report, just for kicks) that he bet on baseball, which is a violation of the most important rule of them all in baseball.

I realize this has been hashed over before, but even if he's betting on his team, it's bad because....

1. He didn't bet on his team every game, which could tip off other bettors.
2. He didn't bet the same amount on his team every game
3. He may have done extra to win a particular game he had a lot of money on at the risk of the big picture (ie, using a reliever a 4th day in a row, etc.)
4. By gambling he put himself in position where gamblers might have been able to influence him ("Hey Pete, you owe us $50K. Throw this one game and we'll call it even.")

All of that said, I'm sufficiently tired of the issue that I would not object if he was allowed into the Hall, provided that his plaque indicated that he had been on the inelgible list because he bet on baseball and he is never allowed to employed by an MLB team in any capacity.

 

I've got a picture of myself standing in front of Pete's memorabilia in the Big Red Machine's section. I'm wearing my homemade "Where is Pete Rose?" shirt.

 

where's pete? standing somewhere with his head up his ass, as always.

the people who own the HOF don't want pete's grille on the wall. so, fuck pete. they're not going to let him in.

 

"Hall of Fame" connotes more than "guys with good stats". It's got to mean more, or there is no point to it. Look at a record book if you want to see statistical rankings.

When I hear people suggest that Pete Rose deserves to get in because all these other players were less than honorable too, it makes me wonder if people just don't have standards at all, or don't look for meaning beyond numbers. It's a sad equivocation to suddenly feel sorry for Pete Rose. He had no respect for the game--respect being one of those non-statistical requirements, in my view, for consideration in the Hall of Fame. The players on steroids didn't have it either, and should suffer the same fate.

 

solid first post, Sig. you have a bright future here.

 

Ahh, did you do the ol' 'put a baseball card behind a cabinet' and induct him that way move?

Baseball's rules specifically state that a player becomes "permanently ineligible" if he is found betting on the game. The Baseball Hall of Fame's rules state that a player who is "permanently ineligible" may not ever be eligible for induction.

Not my rules. He broke 'em, and they're not going to change them for one specific player.

Keep him out forever. He broke a rule that he knew would keep him out of the Hall of Fame. It's posted in every clubhouse. He understood the consequences, but he broke the rules anyway. That's his problem, and he'll suffer the repercussions forever.

 

No, I mean Pete Rose is all over the Hall -- his uniforms, his pictures, in the Club 3,000 exhibit, in the Big Red Machine exhibit, etc. He's there. He's recognized in the museum, always has been. ... He just doesn't have a plaque. Maybe he should, maybe he shouldn't, but you can't say Pete Rose isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

I believe this picture is in the Hall.

 

Looks like Steve O blocking the plate.

 

Silly, W-b. Steve Ontiveros was a pitcher.