If I had a vote for the baseball Hall of Fame, I’d vote for Pete Rose. Yes sir, right after I voted for Osama bin Laden as Humanitarian of the Year, Bill Clinton for Husband of the Year and Kenneth Lay for Corporate Citizen of the Year.
Though I’m too young to have seen Mr. Rose at the height of his powers, there is no doubt in my mind that he was among the 25 or so greatest players of all time, and if that were the end of the story he would be among the most deserving of candidates.
However, Mr. Rose’s talents on the field are overshadowed by the disgrace he brought to the game. He broke the one inviolable rule there is in baseball, that there be no gambling on the sport.
A student of the game like Mr. Rose should have known why this rule is so necessary and the punishment so harsh. Players consorting with gamblers brought baseball to the precipice of extinction 80 years ago, and those who crossed the line drawn decades ago had to pay a steep price. Mr. Rose was well aware of the risk he took when he placed his first bet on baseball, and as all bettors know, when you pay your money you take your chances. He lost, and the game lost as a result.
