When Pete Rose agreed to the lifetime ban on baseball it said he could apply for reinstatement. This doesn’t mean he should be. If he is reinstated it will be a political move for Selig. Many people who want Rose reinstated are tricked into looking at Rose’s statistics, which are very good, but they don’t realize that he broke one of baseball’s cardinal sins. He even admitted to it which explains further why he should still be banned from the game. Its also funny that those wanting Rose back in the game point to his stats, as if him being an exemplary player should allow him to be above the law and be reinstated. If Rose’s ban is reversed then what about the eight Chichago “Black Sox” players of 1919? What would happen if they too were allowed to be voted for in the Hall of Fame? If baseball reverses its ruling on Pete Rose, then future affenders in anything from steriods to gambling will want the same forgiveness. Once Pete Rose is in the Hall, if it happens, Selig or any other future commisioner will not be able to take him out. This is something to consider as well.

The Hall of Fame is all about statistics and athletic performance. Babe Ruth was a drunk. Mickey Mantle was a drunk. They were not the role models that one expects from pro athletes. They were however two of the greatest baseball players ever. So also is Pete Rose, Charlie Hussle. No one can ever forger the tenacity at which he attacked the game. Either crashing into a catcher at the plate or diving into third base, he made baseball more exciting. Not to mention his base hit record that still stands. Cooperstown needs to recognize his accomplishments. His memorabilia can be there, but not him?

how many others were banned for life and reinstated, again and again for more serious offenses?

By all means Pete should be reinstated and also named into the Hall Of Fame. When you compare his betting and gambling to what OJ was tried for. What Vick was tried for, found guilty. served 18 months and today was given the okay to be able to resume play with the NFL, and of yeah OJ is now in prison for theft and is still in the Hall of Fame. There shouldn’t be any question to the great red machine being reinstated. So sad that it took so long the the baseball commissoner to finally come to his senses. He along with Johnny Bench and Dave Concepcion were just the all around best!

Any argument against the re-instatement of Pete Rose for the purpose of inducting him into the HOF on moral grounds is patently absurd. He admitted his mistakes, he “paid his debt to society” with a jail term and never did anything to alter the outcome of any game in which he participated as either a player or manager. He gave his all to the game every time he took the field. That kind of commitment is all too rare, especially in the current ‘show me the money’ era of pro athletes. Finally, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

IT’S ABOUT TIME