Posted on 08/02/2017 11:57:56 AM PDT by Gamecock
The Phillies will not enshrine Pete Rose on the team's wall of fame at Citizens Bank Ballpark this weekend, canceling the ceremony honoring baseball's all-time hits leader only days before it was scheduled to take place.
The team's announcement was prefaced with "Due to recent events …," an apparent reference to news this week, via court documents in Ohio, that Rose acknowledged having sex with a female who was younger than 16, though the former MLB star and manager claimed to believe she was of legal age at the time of the extramarital affair in the 1970s while he was with the Reds.
"Due to recent events, the Phillies and Pete Rose have decided Pete will not participate the Phillies Alumni Weekend festivities at Citizens Bank Ballpark," the team said in a statement.
Phillies fans had voted for Rose to be honored as part of the team's annual Alumni Weekend, despite the fact he is on MLB's permanently ineligible list and, thus, banned from Baseball Hall of Fame induction, for betting on baseball.
The wording of Rose's quote in Wednesday's news release appears to indicate that while the Phillies said the decision was made "with" Rose, it likely was a unilateral move on the team's part and he acquiesced.
"While I am truly honored that the Phillies fans voted for me to be this year's Wall of Fame inductee, I am concerned that other matters will overshadow the goodwill associated with Alumni Weekend," Rose said in the statement, "and I agree with the decision not to participate."
The Rose bobblehead that was scheduled to be given away Friday will not be distributed, and in lieu of honoring Rose on Saturday, the Phillies will instead pay tribute to past wall of fame inductees.
Fans with tickets to Friday's or Saturday's games can exchange them for another 2017 game or get a refund, the team said.
Yikes
Did you read the article. This came out as a result of a lawsuit filed by Rose.
Does he belong in Cooperstown.....NO
He violated Rule #21 about betting on his own team.....
Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.
He knew the risk of caught. But didn't have the character to not go there.
Permanent means: continuing or enduring without fundamental or marked change
After he croaks we can revisit his eligibility.
Can't agree. There's only one rule in baseball that prominently displayed in every locker room, club house and medical facility in MLB and that's rule 21. Thou shall not bet on baseball. It's been that way since the 1920's following the 1919 WS debacle. Pete knew and he bet anyway. No dice.
He should have taken a year off and gone and played basketball till the heat died down.........
Exactly. The Black Sox Scandal almost destroyed the game.
Very diligent player. Not such a nice person.
Yep...and nearly 100 years later people still get worked up about it.
Didn’t it take him 30 years to ADMIT it?
Lance Armstrong has more character, but not much more.
O. J. Simpson played the game the way it should be played. He belongs in the HOF. Period. All the other stuff is things for people to get upset over and convince themselves that he is unworthy for Canton.
He broke the big rule, the big rule posted on a sign NEXT TO the phone he used to break it. The punishment for breaking that rule is banned for life. I agree he belongs in the HOF, first induction class after his funeral. With a full copy of the Dowd Report.
“Well, social security really sucks. Let’s see if I can come up with a book deal and the talk show circuit bringing up sh*t that happened 40 years ago.”
Rose was, is and always will be a Pig. OJ was a great running back. Rose was a great ball player. They both disgust me. Being a celebrity shouldn’t give you a free pass on decency.
I want one of those bobbleheads.
Charlie Hustle was one of the best baseball players of all time.
Shocked! Shocked!
Imagine if the Rock & Roll HOF had such standards!
A lot of people weren’t around back in the ‘70s.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.