The Return of Pete Rose(Exclusive--He's Back in Baseball in 2004)

baseball prospectus ^ | Aug. 12, 2003 | Derek Zumsteg and Will Carroll

[D. Brian Carter]

PR machine in full effect folks...this is baseball cramming for any kind of good PR it can get right now.

Agreed, completely. The thing is their are plenty of good stories right now that MLB could be pushing (have you seen the Marlins and their young crop lately?) to fix their image problems.

[Ray Kinsella]

They will point to the fact that 70% of people responding to polls are in favor of it. But who is in the 30 and who is in the 70? What is the point of having 70% favor it if they are "fans" who never attend games? How much of the 30% is part of the true fan base? That shoud be explored I think.

[jpl]

I never really had a problem with giving Rose HOF eligibility. Letting him back into baseball in an active role is an absolutely horrible idea, assuming that this report is true.

[GB]

Not meaning to be contentious ... but Joe Jackson played left field for the White Sox. If I'm not mistaken ... this info comes from a Bill James Baseball Abstract that I have packed away ... there were two triples hit to left field by the Cincinnati Reds in key situations during the 1919 World Series. In normal circumstances, it is hard ... very hard ... to hit a triple to left field.

In this Abstract piece, James gave a very detailed account, with supporting evidence and documentation, of why Jackson was guilty. The thing about the triples was one of the reasons.

Personally, I think Joe Jackson probably should get a break after all these years ... especially if they let Rose back in. I've always figured that Joe Jackson, who had the intelligence of a retarded amoeba, got taken advantage of in a lot of ways, although bottom line one must take responsibility for his actions.

I just don't think it's accurate to say that he did nothing to throw that series, and if I can find which issue of the Abstract that piece by James is in I'll at least cite the year, there's no way I'm going to type in a three-page article.

[LTCJ]

Rose won't even ADMIT he made a mistake. Maybe if he showed a little contrition, I'd have a different point of view, but his arrogance and inability to take responsibility for his actions, on top of what those actions were,

For a second there I thought you were listing his qualifications to be an Episcopal Bishop.

Either way, America slips one notch further...

[bedolido]

So did O.J. Granted the severity is much different, but our nation is refusing to enforce any standards at all because we feel "sorry" for the perp. Time heals all wounds and the American sheeple will probably be embracing O.J. within the decade.

You have a valid point and I hope O.J. is never accepted or embraced. However, he gambled on baseball and has served (about 15 years or so) time for his misdeed. It's about time he gets parolled. O.J. gets life for murdering his wife (I know you stated the obvious difference)... but the two aren't even in the same category (to me).

[Squantos]

That was too funny......spewed coffee all over the keyboard ! LMAO !!

Stay Safe !

[IronJack]

Pete Rose has ... a lifetime ban from baseball for conduct detrimental to the sport ...

The August 23, 1989 agreement ...

Apparently, "lifetime ban" in the phony (and rapidly declining) world of professional baseball means 15 years.

Baseball, after years of strikes and chicanery, is so desperate for heros that it's trying to resurrect the old ones, even the ones who are already corrupted.

[dfwgator]

Pete admitted to betting on others and, regarding the Reds, only on them to win.

That dog won't hunt! If I've got money riding on my team to win a game, I am going to do everything in my power to win that one game, even if it may cause me other games down the road. For example, I might overwork my closer to the point where come August and September, he's got nothing left when you really need him.

[GB]

Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame for the excellence of his career. He does not merit any active role in baseball, because even though he was a great player, he's an absolute wretch of a human being, basically a piece of amoral flotsam and jetsam.

[Ray Kinsella]

So it is okay to bet against the team your are managing. NO evidence has ever been presented that he did bet against his own team, BUT there is plenty of evidence that he bet for his team. So in the games when he DIDN'T bet FOR his team, what was he in fact doing? If he had never betted for his team I could see your point. But the moment you start betting for your team on somedays and not others, you are really betting against it on those others.

Can I be any more confusing?

[1Old Pro]

he gambled on baseball and has served (about 15 years or so) time for his misdeed

I think given the circumstances you may be right. However, Sports should have a certain number of violations that if violated invoke the ban for life penalty.

[bedolido]

Pete Rose gambled on baseball and has served (about 15 years or so) time for his misdeed. It's about time he gets parolled. O.J. gets life for murdering his wife

[dfwgator]

The Black Sox scandal almost ruined baseball. It is the easiest game of the others to fix. If there was any question about the integrity of the game, it would die. That is why the penalties have to be as harsh as they are. Judge Landis was absolutely right to do what he did, even if Shoeless Joe got taken down wrongfully.

[Sloth]

I never paid much attention to the Pete Rose thing, and I'd be hard pressed to care less about baseball in general, but...

But the moment you start betting for your team on somedays and not others, you are really betting against it on those others.

That is just dumb. What would be his incentive to lose games where he stood to gain no money for doing so?

[My Favorite Headache]

I live in Florida...very well in tune with whats goin on with da fish. It is indeed a nice story to see unfold locally.

[OldFriend]

Yup, just like the rape charge against Kobe.......brings fans to the sport......yippeee.........

SICK SICK SICK, but then we had X42 as pres so why not.

[My Favorite Headache]

Excellent point.

[mhking]

In a time where integrity in the major leagues means even less than it ever did, Rose's return is par for the course.

There's a commissioner who doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground, players who don't know if they're going or coming, increasing prices, continued strikes and work-stoppages, and egos a-plenty. Pete will fit right in.

I'm a long-time Rose fan; I want to see Charlie Hustle in the Hall for his accomplishments on the field. But to have him back "in baseball" managing? Nope.

[Petronski]

What a boondoggle. Put him in the HOF after he's dead, but never before.