We already knew Pete Rose bet on baseball games. We already knew he bet on baseball games while he managed. We already knew that Pete Rose bet on baseball games THAT he managed. So yesterday’s news that he bet on games as a player-manager really doesn’t change much of anything.
After a special report by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” it was revealed that notebooks kept by Rose’s bookie show that his betting included games during his final year as a player for the Reds, and included bets that were on the games that the Reds played in. This is in contrast with the many reports by Rose himself that, while he did bet on baseball, he never bet during his playing days, only while he was a manager.
The timing of the report is curious, as it comes right before the All Star Game which is being played in Cincinnati, an event that Rose was planning to participate in in some role, at the permission of the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred. Rose was even set to sit down with Manfred to discuss the possibility of lifting his life-time ban and becoming eligible for induction into the MLB Hall of Fame.
Many within the baseball community are critical of Rose, saying that he deserves the ban that he is currently serving. Some say this new revelation slams the door on any hopes for Rose to ever get back into the game. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that the game survived steroids but that it would never survive gambling.
This is hyperbole, to say the least, and fails to understand the gravity of steroids on the game, as opposed to what Rose did. Rose never once bet against a team he participated with. He never bet for his Reds to lose, or let his gambling impact the performance on the field. If anything, Rose betting on himself was a showing of the effort with which he attacked the game. You don’t bet on yourself unless you’re bringing your all, and isn’t that really what we want out of our ballplayers? As a fan, I don’t want players on my team that WOULDN’T be willing to bet on themselves (ignoring the fact that it is against the rules).
Yes, Pete Rose broke the rules by betting on baseball. And yes, he lied about gambling during his career as a player. The revelations of yesterday, though, should have no bearing on whether or not Rose is allowed to re-enter the baseball community and find his permanent place in Cooperstown.
Alex Rodriguez lied about his steroid use, and cheated in a way that tarnished his on-field production. He did irreparable damage to his career and to the credibility of the game while he played it. Yet, we celebrate him today, forgiving him and moving on only two years after he was baseball’s Great Satan. How can it be that Pete Rose, who was part of baseball’s greatest era in Cincinnati, cannot be forgiven for a mistake he made that had no impact on his production on the field?
Rose needs to be immediately reinstated into the game, allowed to participate in any way teams or networks choose, and allowed to be on the ballot into the hall of fame as both a player and manager. It is up to the voters whether to enshrine him, but if I had my vote, he would get it.
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