Pete Rose-Major League Baseball's Whipping Boy

Larry Rooney

The cardinal sin of baseball... "Thou shall not gamble on the sacred game". You may be asking yourself how relevant of a problem this really is to the game itself. Many of today's generation of fans won't see the problem with gambling as it is extremely less prominent now. Yet, does this lack of generational support and care really justify one man's grave and blatant disrespect for the game?
Should one man be able to break the cardinal rule of baseball, and still be allowed to mingle in MLB affairs?

Pete Rose, one of the game's all-time greats, was thought, by many, to be banned from the game for as long as it existed. However, rumors are flying around the league that a possible reinstatement is imminent. These rumors have been thrown around quite a bit in recent years, but almost always around the time that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America begins to vote retired players into Mecca of baseball. The Hall of Fame is where every player hopes to see his name at the end their career; however, many are faced by the disappointment of just falling short of the required percentage of votes. So, why should one man facing a lifetime ban from the game all of sudden be reinstated, and more than likely inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Pete Rose holds one of any sports' most unbreakable records. Rose, over 24 seasons with three different teams, amassed 4,256 hits. Rose chased after this record while playing until age 45. He shattered the long thought to be unbeatable record set by Ty Cobb who accumulated 4,189 base knocks over his 24 season career. But, does this feat justify absolving him of his crimes against the sanctity of the game?

Pete Rose followed up his long, prosperous career by managing his former team, the Cincinnati Reds. He was never quite able to accomplish feats similar to the ones he did as a player. He, however, was able put up quality managerial numbers. Rose posted a 412-373, which equates to a solid .525 win percentage. Baseball fans, specifically Cincinnati fans, question whether Rose could have been a better manager. Did Pete Rose throw games as manager of the Reds? No one, besides Rose, will ever know for sure. But, based on his track record so far, there's reason to believe he has.

As stories of the scandal ran through American newspapers in 1989, Rose denied ever being involved in any type of gambling ring. After excruciating years of excommunication, Rose came out of the shadows and admitted to betting on baseball in a Primetime interview with ABC News in 2004. Just days before his autobiography My Prison Without Bars was released, Rose admitted, "That was my mistake for not coming clean a lot earlier." Finally, the truth had surfaced; despite strong allegations, Rose had continued to lie about his gambling problem while managing the Cincinnati Reds.

Aside from the legal implications that gambling entails, it completely corrupts the game of baseball, especially when the manager is the person gambling. No one knows for sure how truthful Rose was being when he told ESPN radio show hosts that he bet on the Reds every night. A fan, however, could assume he was being less than one hundred percent truthful considering all lying he has done already.

It's reasonable to believe that Rose may have been involved in betting on the team he was facing on a given night. You may be beginning to see the problem here. The manager controls the game, there's no way around it. Rose would have made all of the lineup decisions, pitching changes, fielding alignments, etc. You name it, Rose had his hand on it during the game. So, the obvious problem is that Rose could purposefully bring in a pitcher who had a bad track record against the batter at the plate in an effort to throw the game. Obviously, this is pure speculation. It is very possible that Rose was telling the truth, and he only bet on the Reds to win the game each night. But then again, it is very possible Rose bet against his team some nights. It's a lot easier to lose a baseball game, than it is to win one.

Pete Rose, "Charlie Hustle", whatever you want to call him, challenged the sanctity and the legitimacy of the game of baseball. For this reason and his long-lasting dishonesty, Rose deserves the life-long ban he received from Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. All of the joy and fun he brought to the game as a player was undone by all the trouble and stress he caused as a manager. Rose and his actions have no place in the game, whether it be today, twenty years ago, or twenty years in the future.

Rose's lifetime ban should continue to stand for years to come despite Commissioner Manfred's "fresh look" into the matter. If baseball agrees to lift the lifetime ban on Rose, the floodgates will open as players and coaches will begin to realize no action is so unthinkable as his. What's to stop these players and coaches from committing baseball sins, when they know the league is a forgiving one? Major League Baseball cannot afford to lift Pete Rose's lifetime ban.