Pete Rose was always an arch nemesis in the eyes of New York Mets fans. It goes back more than 50 years. They never forgave him.
And now Major League Baseball has decided to forgive him and reinstate him, posthumously. They also reinstated members of the Chicago White Sox…rather…Black Sox as they were called…as well as some other players who gambled their careers away.
As a lover of baseball, and lover of history, I always was intrigued by the stories about those Sox players who were banned by the very first commissioner of baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Regardless that those players were never found guilty in a court of law, they were acquitted, Landis banned them. For life.
It was always questionable whether Shoeless Joe Jackson ever really took part in the scandal. And Buck Weaver went to his grave denying having taken any part in it, and always backed Jackson as well. There was no evidence incriminating either of them. And while Weaver fought vociferously, Jackson chose to fly under the radar and live a quiet life.
If anyone was a Hall of Famer, it was Joe Jackson. Babe Ruth once stated that Jackson was the best player he had ever seen. That says a lot.
Pete Rose is an entirely different story. Rose was proven to have bet on baseball. Rose was proven to have bet on his own team. Rose was proven to have bet on his own team to win. And Rose was proven to have bet on his own team to lose. And yet, Rose would constantly lie about it.
And THAT is why Pete Rose deserved to never be reinstated.
Pete Rose never understood taking responsibility for one’s actions. Pete Rose never understood humble. Pete Rose never understood humility. When you get right down to it, Pete Rose was not a very good human being.
Make no mistake, MLB and the Hall of Fame are littered with horrible human beings. But Pete Rose took it to a whole other level. He truly believed that he was bigger than the game itself.
There are rules. And Pete Rose violated a rule that is on the wall of every clubhouse in baseball. And it’s there for good reason. And he violated everyone’s trust, and played everyone for fools.
The only Hall Pete Rose belongs in is the Hall of Shame.
For sentimental reasons, I am happy that Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver have been reinstated. The other Sox players, I am not so sure. They took the money, they threw the games. That should never have been forgiven. The same with the other violators. You gambled…and you lost. Plain and simple.
And that is what Pete Rose did. He gambled…and he lost. Again, plain and simple.
Rob Manfred should have a plaque alongside Pete Rose in that Hall of Shame. Great message you’re sending Rob!
