Seriously, how can any REAL baseball fan think pete rose deserves to be in the HOF?

Question

What that man did was SO Wrong. Not only did he gamble on baseball games WHILE he was manager, he lied about it for 15 years! Then he says "Oh yeah, I guess I did" And he wants our sympathy? I DONT THINK SO!

PETE ROSE DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE IN THE HALL OF FAME---NOT EVEN AS A PAYING CUSTOMER!

You guys just don't get it, do you?
How sad.

Answer 1

Tommy Lasorda said it best: "In every clubhouse the rules are posted on the door, and they specifically state: If you are caught betting on baseball, it is a one-year suspension. If you are caught betting on your own team, it is life. If he's caught betting on his own team he has to suffer the consequences. That's the rule. It's not my rule. It's the rule. And it's not a rule the government can change. It's a baseball rule. It's been that way since the 1919 Black Sox threw the World Series. That's the way it has to be."

This has nothing to do with character. There's nothing in those clubhouse rules about being a good citizen. Pete Rose isn't banned from baseball because of his character. He's been banned from baseball because he broke a cardinal rule of baseball.

The people on here talking about Ty Cobb's racism, Babe Ruth's bacchanalian lifestyle or Mark McGwire's probable steroid use are missing the point. There's not rule in baseball that you have to believe in racial harmony or sobriety; and until recently, there was no rule regarding steroid use. Even though androstenedione is banned from baseball today, it was not banned in 1998 when McGwire admitted to taking it. Hence, his 70 homers that year will stay on the record books.

But there was a rule regarding betting on baseball long before Pete Rose entered it, and it's going to be there long after Pete Rose dies. And he broke it. This isn't some "simple mistake," he broke a cardinal rule because he thought he could get away with it. His ban isn't just punishment; it's to prove to everyone that no one is bigger than the game.

And for anyone dumb enough to believe that Pete bet on his team to win every time, assume for the sake of argument that he did; and consider this scenario: let's say that the Reds are playing against the Dodgers; Bill Gullickson or Danny Jackson is on the mound pitching a shutout in a close one, and Rose has a bet on this game. But all he used his bullpen in extra innings the night before, so he only has long relievers from the back of the bullpen available that night. So to cover his bet, he leaves his starter in to finish the game (not unheard of back in the mid-80's). But in doing so, the starter blows out his arm or suffers an injury, dooming the Reds' pennant hopes that season. So to cover a bet on a single game, he hurts his team's chances on the season. This is why managers aren't allowed to bet on games they're involved in. Character has nothing to do with it.

Pete Rose does not belong in the Hall of Fame. If he were to be admitted, then you would have start asking yourself why Shoeless Joe isn't in, then several other members of the Black Sox. Most of you know nothing about the damage that the Black Sox did to baseball (take the current steroids scandal and augment it by at least 5x), and how many years it took baseball to recover.

Pete Rose isn't banned because he was a bad person, or someone who made a "small mistake." He's banned because he thought he was bigger than the game. And no one is bigger than the game. If you don't believe me, then you'll see when Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro (he of 569 homeruns) fail to make the Hall of Fame year after year until they're forgotten.

Answer 2

Georgie,I usually think you are nothing more than a clown.But you are right on with this question.I've seen answers saying that Babe Ruth was a drunk,Ty Cobb was a racist and murderer and since all Pete Rose did was bet on games that he should be in the HOF.Those people are true idiots.Ruth and Cobb didn't break the rules of the game.Now the Black Sox scandal of 1919?Those eight broke the same rule of the game as Rose did.Shoeless Joe Jackson has the second highest lifetime batting average and he isn't getting in.Hell,he hit .375 in a Series he supposedly helped fix to lose.In the past 15 years Rose has changed his story as often as some people change their underwear.Now he says he bet every game,but only to win.No gambler is that stupid.How long will it be before he admits to betting while he was a player?He also claims now that he doesn't really think about getting into the HOF?Then why does he seek the publicity for himself?
Pete Rose knowingly broke the rules and agreed to and accepted a lifetime ban from baseball as his punishment.Anyone who can't accept that single most important fact should open their own HOF and make Pete Rose the first person inducted.But Pete Rose in Cooperstown?NO WAY!!
***Just another question.Why does Pete Rose admit to more of the truth when he has something to sell??***

Answer 3

Here's what I think dude, feel free to e-mail me and talk more.

I think Pete Rose deserves to be in the hall of fame as a player and should be banned from any aspect as a manager.

While what he did as a Manager betting on baseball was completely 100% wrong, he never did it as a player

Granted, he should have came out and admitted it instead of lying about it for 15 years, but again, he did that as a manger, not as a player.

Answer 4

No way does Rose deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

He broke baseball's cardinal rule of gambling - a rule that had been in place for long before he began playing. He knew what he was doing, he thought the rules wouldn't apply to him. In short, he thought he was bigger than the game.

He isn't. He broke the rule that put baseball's credibility on the line 50 years before his time. He didn't care. He showed ZERO remorse until there was a very profitable reason to, and even now his cluelessness continues.

He was a hell of a baseball player, and his on-field exploits were wonderful to watch, but ultimately what keeps him from the hall is his own stupidity. He did this to himself.

Answer 5

You know how I feel aboutt this issue. I am as anti- cheat lie perjure flam flam snake in the grass about this issue as they come.

He bet on baseball. yes he was a great player. I had a crush on him when I was a kid, next to the Yankees I would watch the Reds. But..... what he did was wrong.
OK Pete is in. Imagine your kid playing little league baseball. They practice work hard and make it to the playoffs. The towns rich snobs are also in the game. The manager for the rich kids, who also is the top dog in the town pays off the umpires. Your team loses. Your kid is crushed, how do you help him to cope? Say OK Junior.... lets drive to Cooperstown, where we can see how cheating is really done in sports? Think abou the message we are sending here to generations to come if he is ever inducted in. For crying out loud, we've screwed up the environment, we are in a war that we have no idea how to get out, lets leave at least one thing sacred.... America's Past time

Answer 6

Pete Rose was pretty much one of the greatest players ever to play the game and he set records that still stand today, like most hits ever. That, in itself, qualifies him to be in the HOF. The HOF is for baseball greats, regardless of how they were as people.

If personality and/or being a good role model were part of the qualifications, there would be a lot less athletes in there. Ty Cobb certainly would never make it in. And it would lose its meaning, no longer celebrating the fantastic skills of these baseball legends, but trying to put some kind of moral flag on the players as well. That's bull. Why should they be judged on anything more than their talents?

Pete Rose played the game to the hilt, showing everybody else how it should be done, and showing his love for the game as well. His gambling problem came later and is a personal characteristic and failing that many people share, but it doesn't diminish his wonderful accomplishments or his love for the game and the way he played it.

For that he should be praised, honored, and inducted. All of baseball and especially commiss. Bud Selig are tarnished until his ban is lifted.

Answer 7

Just a theory but I think Pete Rose may be T.O.'s father, as well
as being great athletes, it seems they share a lot of the same traits. They both disrespect their respective games and ultimately hurt their teams. Neither, especially Rose, deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

Answer 8

Ty Cobb killed a guy in a back alley with a knife an he's in the hall of fame. Pete Rose was baseball, the alltime leader in hits and HUSTLE. If he 's not in , just think about Ty Cobb , guess we'll have to kick him out. Won't let Rose in because he gambled on baseball , hell Cobb killed a guy

Answer 9

Pete Rose belongs in the Baseball Hall Of Fame

His on the field achievements and obvious competitiveness both as a player and manager warrant his election.

I never believed Pete Rose regarding his denial of betting on baseball, but I always felt that if he bet on his own team, it would be to win.

Do I think he disgraced the game? To an extent. Perhaps we've been led to believe that this is the worst travesty that could befall baseball. Perhaps it used to be. However, in the (semi) recent revelation regarding steroid use, one must question the meaning of ethics.

Is not every individual circumstance not worthy of its own merit?

While Pete Rose certainly violated a sacred code, do the facts not present themselves? While we certainly accept that he bet on baseball (yet never showed he would purposely lose), his on the field behaviors and actions have not been called into question. Nor (to the best of my knowledge) have they been challenged. I admit I don't know everything and could be wrong about that (please show examples if you "have evidence").

Now, while Georgie may think that I have no grasp of the word 'integrity', I suggest that rules are truly made to be challenged and the vast majority of decisions are based upon the 'grey areas' that encompass the majority of lifes decisions.

That being said, Pete Rose belongs in the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY based upon his on the field performance.

Heck, when I was in Little League in Boston, MA (starting 2 years removed from the '75 Series), we were all encouraged to play the game like 'Charlie Hustle'. That is a tribute to his greatness.

Answer 10

Your so wrong Pete Rose is a baseball legend and deserves to be in the hall and should be allowed back in baseball. He made a mistake who hasnt? Its retarded to keep someone who loves the game as much as Pete out. I talked to Marge Schott several years ago before she died and she said he got a raw deal, I agree. No other player will ever set the records this man did he was a american badass and played hard not a sissy like some of todays players!