The Gamble for Cooperstown: Should Pete Rose Be Eligible for the Hall of Fame?

Voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame are conflicted over whether they would vote for the late Pete Rose if he is removed from the ineligible list and considered for induction into Cooperstown.Rose, baseball’s all-time hit king, was banned from the sport in 1989 for gambling on baseball and has since remained ineligible to be considered for the Hall of Fame despite being a 17-time All-Star, who played more games and whose 4,256 hits are the most ever.Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly considering a petition filed in January by Pete Rose’s family to have him removed from baseball’s ineligible list. Mr. Rose died last September. He was 83.According to voting rules, if Rose is reinstated for eligibility, the Hall of Fame’s Era Committee, formerly the Veterans Committee, would have to vote him in. The baseball writers’ annual ballot contains candidates that played in the Major Leagues no more than 15 years before each election.Yet, a survey of several BBWAA Hall of Fame voters offers evidence that 36 years later, the debate over Rose’s worthiness for the Cooperstown remains a polarizing issue.Fred Kerber, a long-time voter, summed it up like this: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I say he should be in the Hall of Fame,” Mr. Kerber told The New York Sun. “On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, I say he shouldn’t. On Sundays I take a day of rest.”Rose’s prolific accomplishments on the field make him worthy of a first-ballot induction. Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” the 1975 World Series MVP and three-time National League batting champion, was a fan favorite who won World Series championships with the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. But while serving as the Reds manager following his 24-year playing career, Rose was embroiled in a betting scandal and subsequently suspended from baseball by then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.Mr. Manfred denied a 2015 petition for reinstatement. But the issue has resurfaced following Rose’s death and President Trump’s recent announcement that he planned to issue a complete pardon for Rose, who served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges in 1990.While the Era Committee will have the ultimate vote, it’s hardly a no-brainer, according to the baseball writers who voted Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner as the Class of 2025.“I wouldn’t,” the founder of MLBbro.com, Rob Parker, told the Sun. “There wasn’t a bigger warning to players than gambling. Pete chose to ignore it. Pete put the integrity of the game in harm’s way. Without integrity, MLB would wind up being the WWE.”A voter based in Connecticut, Chris Elsberry, also wouldn’t vote for Rose. “If voting for the Hall of Fame was solely based on statistical merit, then undoubtedly my answer would be yes,” Mr. Elsberry told the Sun. “However, voting for the Hall of Fame is also based on traits like sportsmanship, character and integrity, and in those areas, I feel Rose was sadly lacking. That being said, I would not vote for him.”Some voters suggest the legalization of sports betting and growing ties to professional sports should offer Rose some leniency. “All along I said no to Pete Rose until they made a mockery of sports betting by ramming it down your throat before and during every telecast,” Mr. Kerber said. “But he broke the rules and as Pat Riley said, ‘they’re the 10 commandments not the 10 suggestions.”A long-time voter based at Las Vegas, Tim Dahlberg, told the Sun, “Pete gets my vote and it’s not a hard call with the blatant hypocrisy that exists on the betting issue in baseball and all sports. There’s no evidence he bet on the Reds to lose and by now he has more than paid the price for his mistakes. Pete spent the rest of his life being punished. It’s time to let it go and put him in the Hall.”Another long-time voter, Garry Howard, agrees Rose should be considered for the Hall. “Over three decades is enough already,” he told the Sun. “Pete, a bona fide switch-hitter, has won three World Series rings, is the all-time hits leader, had a 44-game hitting streak, and thrilled fans over 23 years with his incredible passion and all-round hustle. I’m ready to forgive, not forget, and add Peter Edward Rose to the Baseball Hall of Fame…Like today.”Other voters mention the steroid scandal baseball endured and how those embroiled in that controversy were allowed on the ballot. “The BBWAA was never allowed to voice a collective opinion on Rose,” Dominic Amore told the Sun. “This, I’ve strongly disagreed with. If Rose were on the ballot, I would consider voting for him in light of the other scandals such as steroids and other issues. It’s a wound that baseball would do well to heal, just explain on his plaque what happened.”Voters like Shaun Powell, John Harper, and Kevin Kernan said if Rose is eligible, he should be in. “I’m conflicted on Rose for sure but I think I’d vote for him based on all the time that has passed, the changing culture of sports and gambling, and his obvious worthiness as a player,” Mr. Harper said. “He brought it on himself, but he paid a significant price for his mistakes.”Mr. Kernan said simply, “4256 hits!”

The Gamble for Cooperstown: Should Pete Rose Be Eligible for the Hall of Fame?

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