Odds and Sods

No, it hasn’t been announced yet, but look at the sequence of events. Rose is currently banished from baseball. He is officially unallowed to affiliate himself in any way shape or form with Major League Baseball (exceptions were made for the 1999 All-Century Team and 2002’s 30 Memorable Moments at the behest of credit companies running them).

However, there will now be a Pete Rose exhibit on display for 11 months at Great American Ballpark, an act technically prohibited under the terms of his banishment. Yet, this has drawn no response from MLB and has created no controversy whatsoever.

Second, Rose confided today, on ESPN’s The Dan Patrick Show, that he had in fact bet on the Cincinnati Reds while he was manager. Rose stated

I bet on my team every night. I didn’t bet on my team four nights a week. I was wrong… I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team. I did everything in my power every night to win that game.

That statement attacks the crux of the issue. Did anything he do as a manager threaten the integrity of the game? Did he intentionally throw a game while manager of the Cincinnati Reds? If he didn’t, than there is room for Bud Selig to maneuver to get him in.

He admitted betting on baseball and betting on his team, and there is no reason for him to make that statement unless there was a deal in place to get him reinstated. Letting it float around and trying to subtly bring Rose back under the radar stinks of Selig.

I have fought back and forth about this issue. But, I think it is a good thing that he most likely will be reinstated. It was undoubtedly incredibly stupid for him to gamble. He knew the rules and knew it would result in banishment. However, according to his story, he never bet against his team. Rose is a gambling addict, a liar, and would probably sell his soul and his organs for the right price. But, above all he was a competitor. I highly doubt someone who was willing to jeopardize another player’s career to win a meaningless all-star game, would have intentionally lost a game. Gambling problems are rampant with athletes, see Michael Jordan and Charles Barkeley.

Rose did something stupid, but compared to the steroid and HGH scandals, his acts had a relatively benign act upon the game. The best thing for all involved is to put it behind and let him back. Though he was extremely overrated as a player, given that he was able to run up numbers because pitchers would rather pitch to him than Joe Morgan or Johnny Bench hitting behind him (far far superior players), the hit king should be eligible to be elected to the hall.