Does Pete Rose Belong in the Hall of Fame?

Few debates in baseball, or in sports, are as hotly contested as whether Major League Baseball should allow Pete Rose into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, or rather eligible for election, which is decided by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America.

Rose, of course, infamously bet on his own team’s baseball games as a manager and player for the Cincinnati Reds and received a lifetime ban from commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989 following the Dowd Report. An important distinction to that is no evidence exists of him betting against his team or throwing games like the 1919 Chicago White Sox (Black Sox) when they fixed the World Series and changed the future of baseball as well as Rose’s fate.

Rose doesn’t mind that he’s been blackballed by MLB, because he’s acknowledged his mistakes and admitted his screw-ups. Despite him saying his ineligibility for the Hall in Cooperstown, New York, is no big deal, it has to be. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016 at Great American Ball Park, which he said meant more to him anyway because Cincinnati is his hometown.

Rose earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle” for his playing style. Baseball’s all-time hits leader collected 4,256 base knocks, played in 17 All-Star Games, won the National League MVP in 1973 (he just missed out on a second one finishing running up to St. Louis’ Bob Gibson in 1968) and three World Series titles.

The Hit King holds the records for most games (3,562), plate appearances (15,890), at-bats (14,053) and was a key member of the Cincinnati Reds “Big Red Machine” in the 1970s before going on to play with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.

The Hall of Fame doubled down on its decision to keep Rose off the ballot after a 1991 ruling determined ineligible players can’t be considered for election. He applied for reinstatement but was shot down by the Hall’s board of directors. Maybe MLB commissioner Rob Manfred should reconsider.

Obviously, players, umpires and employees of teams are still not allowed to gamble on games according to Major League Rule 21, which Rose broke. But this sure looks like MLB is loosening its stance on gambling, especially because big money is in play.

While the Hall of Fame continues to keep the door closed on Rose’s enshrinement hopes, it leaves it open for cheaters forever tied to steroid scandals like home run king Barry Bonds and welcomed that era’s commissioner Bud Selig into the HOF — so why not do the same for another baseball player who also broke the rules and admitted his mistakes?

Perhaps MLB commissioner Rob Manfred should reconsider removing Pete Rose off the ineligible list and to a Hall of Famer.

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