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Pete
Rose Admits to Betting on Baseball |
Posted:
01.07.04
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Is sport about points, goals and records, or integrity, sportsmanship
and character? For the popular and scrappy former baseball player
Pete Rose, the answer could determine if he makes it into the
Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Pete Rose, who retired from baseball in 1986, has the career
record for hits at 4,256. No other player in the history of baseball
has more combined singles, doubles, triples or homeruns than he.
 But
Rose, who was manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1987 and 1988,
broke one of the clearest and most sacred rules of baseball, Rule
21; he not only bet on baseball but on his own team.
After an extensive investigation Rose was banned from baseball
for life in 1989. He applied for reinstatement eight years later
in 1997 but current Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig has yet
to rule on the request. Since he was ousted, Rose had consistently
denied any wrongdoing.
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Rose admits
guilt |
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All that changed on Monday with Rose's admission, published in
a new book entitled "My Prison Without Bars," that yes,
he bet on baseball. Rose describes a meeting with Selig in November
2002 in which he was asked if he had bet on baseball.
"Yes sir, I did bet on baseball," he answered, according
to his book.
Asked how often, he replied, "Four or five times a week.
But I never bet against my own team, and I never made any bets
from the clubhouse."
When asked why, Rose responded, "I didn't think I'd get
caught."
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Suspicious
timing |
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For many, Rose's admission is seen as too little too late and
the timing as suspicious.
"What is the motive?" ESPN's Jim Gray, who as a reporter
for NBC in 1999 received death threats after asking Rose aggressively
during a live interview whether he had bet on baseball, asked
The Washington Post. "Is the motive to get into the Hall
of Fame? To get back on the [baseball] field? Or is the motive
to sell books because you need the money?"
 According
to baseball rules, players have until 20 years after they retire
to be elected into the Hall of Fame by a committee of baseball
writers. Thus, Rose has only two more chances to get onto the
ballot, December 2004 and December 2005. But after being banned
he is currently ineligible.
After that, a player is referred to the Veterans Committee, an
85-member group of whom about two-thirds are members of the Hall
of Fame. According to Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci,
many Veterans members have spoken publicly or privately against
letting Rose in.
"Some have even threatened to boycott the Hall of Fame ceremonies
if he is elected. So his best chances of getting into the hall
are during the next two years," Verducci explained.
That sentiment is shared by former commissioner Fay Vincent who
said he was disappointed with Rose's admission, though he admitted
the sport culture contributed to the situation.
"There is no sense of regret or shame for dragging baseball
through the muck," he said. "So, when you look at Rose
today, you have to realize we're at fault too. We teach great
athletes their whole lives that they are above the law. We create
the monster, then we have to go out and deal with it," he
added.
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Rose supporters |
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Rose believes that he should be reinstated because he admitted
wrongdoing.
"If I had been an alcoholic or drug addict, baseball would
have suspended me for six weeks and paid for my rehabilitation,"
he writes. "The distinction between drugs, booze and gambling
told me that baseball was interested in punishment, not treatment."
 Many
agree. Despite his banishment, Rose has remained a popular hero,
celebrated for his energy and dramatic headfirst slides into base.
Having grown up on the rough part of Cincinnati, he is the gutsy
sportsman nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" for how he played
during his 24-year career. He received standing ovations in 1999
and 2002 when he was allowed on a baseball field during various
commercial promotions.
Marge Schott, the Reds' owner when Rose was manager, thinks that
Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, "because he is baseball."
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Awaiting
a decision |
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Selig, who has long insisted that Rose admit to gambling before
any consideration of his status is examined, hasn't indicated
whether he plans to reinstate Rose.
Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said Tuesday that no consideration
is being given to changing the rules to extend Rose's eligibility.
--
Annie Schleicher, Online NewsHour
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