Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
Merry Christmas, Pete Rose.
Earlier this week, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred elected not to lift the permanent ban imposed on Rose more than a quarter-century ago for wagering on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
This is the right decision in my view.
Yes, I will concede that the playing credentials of Rose are great, Hall of Fame material, in fact, vastly better than many Hall of Famers, and you’d be foolish to argue against that, which makes his banishment from the sport truly unfortunate….imagine hockey expelling Bobby Hull or Guy Lafleur….
And sure, Pete Rose may have been a jerk on the field and off, but I’m assuming not everyone in the sport or the Hall of Fame is a saint, so I’m not sure that should be part of the equation.
But baseball and its sacred Hall of Fame have a righteous tone and Rose violated their parameters in a big way, the moment he bet on a game, and especially when he bet on games involving his team, both as the manager and, later revealed, even during his playing days.
Pete Rose is 74.
And to a large degree it’s shameful one of the biggest stars over two decades is banished from the game and likely from his rightful place, based on playing criteria, in the Hall of Fame.
But it’s a shame that Rose inflicted upon himself, a shame he’ll live and die with.
I’m Fred Wallace