Penton: Hall of Fame controversy still follows Pete Rose
By Bruce Penton
Pete Rose, a Hall of Famer? Yes or no?
The late Rose, who passed away in September of 2024, is at the heart of one of baseball’s greatest debates: Should he be admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y?
There’s no debate about his credentials, of course. All he did during a 20-year career with Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos was accumulate more base hits than anyone else in the history of the game. Is Wayne Gretzky Hockey Hall of Fame worthy? Is Michael Jordan a Hall of Famer at the basketball shrine in Springfield, Mass? Would Tom Brady deserve a bust at the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio?
Of course, yes, yes, yes, yes to all of the above. Rose accumulated 4,256 base hits, but he’s still not in the Hall of Fame because he violated one of Major League Baseball’s most sacred rules: He bet on the results of baseball games. No one is sure whether he bet on his own teams to win or lose, but he laid down bets and in the world of baseball, that’s sacrilegious.
To no one’s surprise, Rose was given a lifetime ban in 1989 by then Commissioner Bart Giamatti and declared ‘permanently ineligible’ for the Hall of Fame. But now that he has passed away, things have changed. Today’s commissioner, Rob Manfred, announced in May that Rose and Joe Jackson, banned in the 1920s for conspiring with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, would have their names removed from the ‘permanently ineligible’ list.
So the debate is resurrected. Rose’s on-field credits are sublime. But his name hasn’t been on the Hall of Fame ballot because of the commissioner’s banishment. Now, however, his name can appear on the Veterans Committee ballot. If he were to garner a minimum 75 per cent of votes cast at the next vote, in December, 2027, he would receive a posthumous induction into Cooperstown.
It’s unlikely, however, that he would achieve the 75-per-cent threshold. The Rose subject has polarized the baseball world, with one side saying the on-field performance should be all that matters and the other side saying he disgraced the game and should be permanently banned. He might get more than 50 per cent of the votes cast, but 75 per cent is asking a lot under such controversial circumstances.
While reaction was both positive and negative on the lifting of the Rose ban, the positive side seemed to win the day. A statement by the Reds’ owner Bob Castellini said “on behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision by Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball for the removal of Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list. Pete is one of the greatest players in baseball history and Reds Country will continue to celebrate him as we always have.”
Will he get the 75 per cent? The answer from here is ‘no,’ and you can bet on it.
Columnist Norman Chad: “Pete Rose’s lifetime ban has been lifted, raising the question: Does a lifetime ban end when the lifetime does?”
The late great NBA star Wilt Chamberlain: “They say that nobody’s perfect. Then they say practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.”
U.S. college basketball coach Billy Tubbs: “This year we plan to run and shoot. Next year we plan to run and score.”
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “The Colorado Rockies have won three in a row. Let’s really hope this isn’t a sign of the apocalypse.”
Canadian parody website The Beaverton.com: “‘You should root for the Oilers because they’re Canadian,’ says man who has confused this with the Olympics.”
Another one from The Beaverton: “Hockey players shake hands, say there are no hard feelings about the permanent brain damage.”
Norman Chad again: “Skipped NBA Finals tonight because … Mediocre teams from small markets playing; never heard of any of these players; OKC probably sweeps this series; games are never close or exciting.”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “According to a recent survey, men with facial hair are more attractive to women than clean-shaven men. I'm guessing the study wasn't commissioned during the NHL playoffs.”
Headline at fark.com: “Dallas Stars throw coach Pete DeBoer off the team bus a week after he threw their goalie under it.”
One more from fark.com: “‘Okay, but this time we REALLY mean it,’ says Jacobs/Sweeney/Neely as the Bruins hire Marco Sturm, their third coach in three years.”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “So explain Madison Square Garden to me: The Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after he takes the team further than it has been in centuries. And at the same time, MSF re-ups Rangers general manager Chris Drury, after New York had one of its most dysfunctional seasons ever. The notion being: Do well and you get fired. Do lousy and you get an extension.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca