Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?

Answer 1

Hell Yes !!!

Answer 2

No he should not be not even as a paying customer.
Ability to play the game extremely well is only one of the criteria for election into the HOF.
Article 5; Rules of Election onto the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the BBWAA states:
Voting : " Voting shall be based upon the players record, playing ability, integrity,, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team (s) for which he played "
By consciously breaking a rule that he was very much aware of Pete Rose showed a lack of character and integrity. That in and of itself makes him ineligible for the HOF.
Life is full of people who had great ability but couldn't control their demons. Why should Rose get a free pass but other who knowingly broke the law not ?
It's the old story, don't do the crime if you can't do the time

Answer 3

What are the odds? Put him in - you may deny the man but you can't deny the stats. And it's not like he's a borderline hall of fame player, his stats are an automatic.
If they want to keep him out because of morality maybe we should go back and check on Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb, among other notoriously bad people. Do you think the Chicago black sox were the first team to take a payment to dump a game? What are the odds that scam was discovered on the first time it was tried? Or if it was even the last time. Out of thousands of baseball players around the country was Pete Rose the only guy who ever gambled? Or is it possible that, if anything, he was using insider knowledge to increase his chances of winning a bet and maybe the bookies should ban him from betting. If you knew something about a player that wasn't information available to the general public and someone offered to bet you $100, what would you do it? Most likely yes. Rules are rules and no one should be allowed to bet on their own sport, there is too much potential for conflict. But if you think Pete shaved points or threw games to cover a bet, you have never seen him play.

Answer 4

Absolutely. The Hall Of Fame voting has become a joke. Pete Rose did something wrong, but baseball is played on the field and he should be judged by what he did on the field, not the fact he bet on his own team as a manager and lied about it. He's the all time hits leader and being the all time leader in anything relevant normally guarantees you'll be enshrined in Cooperstown. He deserves to be in, as well as Mark McGwire. It's obvious he juiced, but there was no testing then and if you dont allow him to be in the Hall of Fame, then you have to ban all of those who were in the "steroid era", including recent inductees Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. Bottom line, the player should get into the Hall based on what they did on the field. If we base it on morals, then Babe Ruth wouldnt be in the Hall of Fame because he was no boy scout. Put Pete in the Hall!

Answer 5

You know what would be really, really original;? IF someone actually searched for the thousand of previous times that this question has been asked instead of trying to have everyone reinvent the wheel.


Absolutely not. Rose was in a position both as a player and as a manager to use inside knowledge to not only bet on games to but help to throw games in order to have losses written off. And he was gambling to the extent that he was dealing with people who might have asked for just that. Further, gamling on baseball has been illegal inthe game since the early 1920's and the rule is posted on the wall of every clubhouse at every professional level of the game. He has no excuse for not knowing it.

That's where the comparison with Bonds' cheating doesn't cut it. PED's weren't illegal in baseball until very recently, thanks in part to that wimp who masquerades as a commissioner.

What Pete Rose was doing was the equivalent of insider trading. If you're in the business world in the US, the SEC will throw you in jail faster than you can say "not guilty" for insider trading.

This is why Rose was given a lifetime suspension. Now, that suspension could be appealed any time after the first anniversary of it's having been handed down. Rose has yet to even try to appeal it. He hasn't admitted his guilt and he hasn't apologized for anything. He can't even be on the HOF ballot while he's under a lifetime suspension (that's the rules). And he stands no chance with the veterans committee, as they are as adamantly opposed to his actions and refusal to accept responsibility for them as are all thinking persons.

There simply is no way to justify a different answer.

Answer 6

Pete gambled on baseball...on his own team. Although he never gambled against his own team, I find it very hard to believe that he never changed the way he managed in any game to help his bets. Even if he rearranged pitchers to help his chances, it is unethical and against the rules. I don't think that ty cobb (generally thought of as a terrible, racist man) or babe ruth (a womanizing, alcoholic) are necessarily good people, but they didn't break the ultimate rule of baseball (gambling). You can't argue with Pete as a player; he is a first ballot hall of famer without a doubt. However, you can't separate what he did as a player with what he did as a manager. With Pete's gambling issue and the current steroid issues, baseball has a tainted image. Putting Pete in the hall of fame would seem to validate what he did as acceptable and put another black eye on the sport of baseball.

Answer 7

I think he should be, just like I think Bert Blyleven should be In there. They shouldn't keep on punishing Pete for the things he did...He made a few mistakes(like so many others who used steroids) but he also meant a lot for the game. The guy was one of the best players, so he should be In the Hall of Fame.

Answer 8

I say yes. If people r going to be in the Hall of Fame using steroids, then Pete Rose should be in the hall of fame. Betting on baseball didn't help him to be a better baseball player. He didn't cheat, so y wouldn't he be.

Answer 9

Hell Yes he does. The man has the most hits in baseball. Who really cares what he did off the field. Besides there are worst men in the Hall of Fame. Drunks, Wife beaters, and soon steroid users.

Answer 10

Cooperstown 2007, Pete Rose & Shoeless Joe.

Answer 11

Well all he did was gambel and I mean that is wrong but why should the Commisioner throw away all his accomplishments. What he did was wrong, but if players now like Barry Bonds can be in all this legal trouble and be abusing drugs to be better than everyone why not get rid of him or ban Palmero from ever holding a bat.