So as a lifelong baseball fan and player who watched Pete Rose as a kid live as a Philly and Red vs the Padres, I was interested in seeing how he was doing on his TV show, Hits & Mrs.

The show is not really my preferred programming, but aside from that I was wondering what your feelings are on his banning from the game?

I think he should be given a second chance before he is gone...

My stance on the situation is that gambling is classified as a disease, where other things that guys in the hall of fame have done are actual crimes.

 

Aside from being the biggest pompous jerk I've ever meet (I've been to his house 4 different times) I think he should be inducted.

 

I'm glad I didn't get laughed off the site!

Maybe it's because I was born in Akron that I have a soft spot for him....

Jerk or not, I would just hate to see him not get the recognition he earned as a player.

Just kills me to know Ron Santos never knew he finally made it...

 

I think he'll get in someday. Pete and everyone else who knows anything about baseball knows that he was one of the best of all time. He's probably made more money from not making it in. (books, movies, signings)

 

I was listening to an interview a few weeks ago about him not getting in etc and the interviewee (some famous sports columnist) rattled off quite a few players that were in that got busted for a variety of things that were much worse then what he did that had been inducted. From murder to out and out throwing games. Not that it should make any difference but they were from quite a few years ago 50+.

 

Yeah, one guy in the Hall got busted smuggling drugs into the US and is still in.

I watched Pete Rose live as a kid when the Padres played the Reds or Phillies and remember how our coaches were nuts about him and his style of play. I also remember how much respect he got from the crowd and the other players.

Lance Armstrong kinda makes it look kinda silly that PR isn't allowed back in baseball.....

 

As Reds (and A's in AL) fan I grew up with the Big Red Machine. I really liked the way Pete played the game. He is a pompous clown. Larry Bowa is from my hometown and I used to deliver the newspaper to his dad. Larry was arrogant as well. (His dad was a sweetheart and tipped well at xmas) I'd say more ballplayers than not (in general) are arrogant as opposed to nice guys. Some of this is due to the environment than just themselves and I can understand that.

That said, if Petey is allowed, you'd have to allow shoeless joe too. While we think of the "worse offenses" within baseball, gambling was the worst thing because it undermined the very integrity of the game. A guy kills someone else and it's a reflection on him, not the game as a whole.

All that said, I think what he did as a player merits his entry. As I recall, the gambling was when he was a manager. And we're pretty sure he didn't juice. So we can't label him a cheater... Right now, I think his being kept out is as much righteous indignation on the part of the sportswriters about Petey's intransigence and arrogance than about his gambling.

Personally, I would induct him the day after he died. He would have his rightful spot in the hall, but not be rewarded for bad behavior in the meantime. Let's face it, the Hall right now, for his generation, is for the player's benefit more than the fan. The fans don't benefit much unless: A. you go to Cooperstown; or B. You are looking up about players from a bygone era. And if its a well known player, Wiki can give as much as the Hall can anyway.

 

Those are all good points to the argument, Soulezoo...

As a lifelong player, I have always marveled at the arrogance and cockiness of baseball players and usually get a good laugh at the "best" players in our smalltown league. For me it is just a game and a good way to get some exercise. I want to win as much as the next guy, I am just not going to turn into a balloon knot to achieve it, if you know what I mean.

I get the whole big league attitude/cockiness/competitive thing and sometimes wonder why I am so attached to the game, but that is what it is for me, the game, not the players.