Pete Rose, the all-time MLB hits leader, passed away on Monday at the age of 83, according to TMZ.
The Cincinatti Reds legend was a 17-time All-Star and three-time World Series winner as a player. Anyone else with his résumé would have been a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. However, Rose was barred from induction because he bet on baseball as both a player and manager.
That’s the dichotomy of Pete Rose. On the one hand, the MLB world is mourning the passing of an all-time great. On the other hand, MLB continues to mourn what Rose’s legacy could have been if he hadn’t committed one of the cardinal sins of sports.
Amid the tributes that poured in on social media, the debate over Rose’s absence in the Baseball Hall of Fame sparked back up.
MLB fans argue for Pete Rose’s Hall of Fame place after passing
Rose was placed on baseball’s permanently ineligible list in 1989 when he was the manager of the Reds. The league determined he placed bets on dozens of games during his career as a player and manager. In 2004, he admitted to betting on baseball, including Reds games, though he claimed he only ever bet on his team to win.
Over the decades, fans and media have taken sides on whether Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Every commissioner since Bart Giamatti has upheld Rose’s ban despite calls to put him on the ballot.
Now that Rose has passed, there are plenty who believe the “lifetime” ban should end.
The groundswell of support for Rose’s posthumous induction is significant. The question is whether Rob Manfred will budge on the longstanding policy of excluding him.
Personally, I think Rose’s ban from baseball was perfectly warranted. There was never any doubt about betting on the game being off limits. Rose chose to break that cardinal rule and paid for it for the remainder of his life. It doesn’t really matter that MLB now has partnerships with sports betting operations. As a player or manager, you’re still not allowed to bet on baseball. That hasn’t changed.
Having said that, Rose is a part of the story of baseball. Putting him in Cooperstown now wouldn’t be letting him off easy. He did his time. His legend is more than just the mistakes.
