Rose won't be on Hall ballot in final year (Odds Against Rose Entering Hall of Fame)

MSNBC.com ^ | 11/22/05 | AP

[Airborne1986]

He knew the rules. He broke the rules. But, it doesn't seem right that he is out and Tony Perez is in the Hall. If Bonds and/or Palmiero get in, it will be even worse.

[Corporate Law]

Ping.

[Grendel9]

Rules, for sure. He broke them. OTOH,
private betting on games has been abused
by other pro game players who were NOT
punished despite its being known. Ex:
Michael Jordan, big time gambling.

The discussion on FoxNews this a.m.
mentioned the "rules" abuse of Rose's
faux pas in comparison to the use of
drug enhancing performances so prevalent
in the games today. Specifically, WHAT
is the END goal of a player deciding to
ingest drugs? Answer...fat contract
deal...$$$. It does seem a bit of a
wash.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Wonder what kind of odds Pete got from his bookie on the upcoming vote.

[YouPosting2Me]

I'll take that bet.

[Airborne1986]

"he'd be a shoe in."

14,053 at bats. 4,256 hits. 24 seasons/.303 career BA. Degenerate gambler or not, what is the point of having a Baseball Hall of Fame if you don't have this guy in it?

[Ditto]

But, it doesn't seem right that he is out and Tony Perez is in the Hall. If Bonds and/or Palmiero get in, it will be even worse.

Did those other guys bet on the game?

Betting is the one thing you can do that absolutly means you will be banned from baseball for life. It's a simple rule. It's posted in every locker room. There are no exceptions. Every player knows it. End of story.

Rose can just go on selling autographs to suckers and being an all around jerk and Cooperstown will be just fine without him.

[DustyMoment]

Which only goes to prove that pro athletic leagues could screw up a soup sandwich. I have a distinct feeling that 100 years after his death (assuming MLB lasts that long), they may decide to vote him in "honorarily".

True baseball fans (which I am not) should be outraged. Lesser players who used steroids hold prominent positions in the HofF, but not one of the best of his time, Pete Rose.

Idiocy!

[Preachin']

I am a Braves fan to the max, but I sure loved seeing Pete play in Atlanta.

I was so mad when Gene Garber struck him out to end the 44-game hitting streak.

Pete was (by far) the best player of his time.

He gambled when he knew there were rules against it.

All that talent and hustle... but no common sense.

[Charles Henrickson]

Betting on baseball is the worst thing a player or manager can do, because it directly destroys the integrity of the game itself. Those other offenses are bad, but they concern individual players, not the game itself.

[Charles Henrickson]

Lesser players who used steroids hold prominent positions in the HofF. . . .

Which HOF inductees are you referring to?

[FilthyHands]

I'll bet ya that I eventually get in! - Pete Rose

[sinkspur]

If Babe Ruth can be in the Hall, if Ty Cobb can be in the Hall, if Barry Bonds can be in the Hall (and you know he will be), Pete Rose should be in the Hall.

[Charles Henrickson]

Pete was (by far) the best player of his time.

Rose was not even close to being the best. He was just consistently very good for a very long time.

I followed baseball very closely throughout his entire career, from start to finish. I saw him--as well as all the other players--play in person and on television dozens and dozens of times. He was a real good and consistent player, perhaps the most intensely combative and competitive, perhaps the most self-consumed player, but not the best. Mays, Aaron, Schmidt, Bench--that's just for starters.

[Triggerhippie]

Every season head coaches gamble their extremely lucrative jobs on whether their team will win. This occurs in every sport. What is the big deal over adding some additional money to the wager?

Please don't cite "integrity" as an answer, as the obvious replies to sports integrity are: Darryl Strawberry, Randy Moss, Bobby Bowden, Tanya Harding, Kobe Bryant etc.

[Preachin']

Pete didn't hit for power, but his hustle legged out more doubles than anyone else would've gotten with the same level of talent.

Look at the amount of runs he scored without getting 650-750 via home runs.

He knew how to be patient and get on base with a walk.

He played almost every day.

He made the all-star team at five different fielding positions.

He only played about 8-9 years in MLB with Mays, and was in the same league with Aaron for about 14 years.

He was more fun to watch than any player of his time.

[Charles Henrickson]

Certainly his playing accomplishments would normally merit the HOF, even first-ballot HOF. But Rose would never make a first--or even second or third-team--all-time team.

But his gambling, along with his long denial, has rightly kept him out.

[Dog Gone]

I don't care if they let him in after his death, but it would be wrong to change the rules to honor him while he's alive. Punishments are supposed to mean something. If you let Rose in, there's no such thing as the threat of a lifetime ban.

All you have to do is whine long enough.