Entries in long-hidden notebook show Pete Rose bet on baseball as player

No surprise here. 

 

I'd be willing to bet that he was betting on MLB games for the majority of his career.  He has a huge problem with it.  IMO it would not surprise me if it wasn't common knowledge among his teammates that Rose was gambling on games. 

 

I think he is a stupid and arrogant enough man that the only reason he got caught was he went so far that it could not be ignored anymore.  Baseball when confronted with the decision on what to do - knowing he bet on games as a player had no choice but to ban him.  If they hadn't done that and it came out that Rose bet on games as a player the risk was the Black Sox all over again.  No one associated with the game could ever allow that to happen.

 

They gave Rose the chance to fall on the sword to let some time pass and left open the reinstatement door rather than humiliating him by airing it all out and crushing him like Shoeless Joe.  IMO baseball was more than reasonable in this whole affair and that is rare for a gang that can't shoot straight - but I think they handled this exactly right the whole way.

 

Then Rose has been a butthead for most of the 25 years since forcing baseball to stand pat.  His last chance was Manfred coming in and this will probably sink him forever this time.

 

 

 

Ok, I get it....but it's been 25 years....he has paid his dues.  You get less time that that for murder in this country.  And why does this notebook magically show up this week??  Seems a little fishy....considering it's been sealed for 25 years? 

In Rose's book, my prison without bars, he admitted to betting on baseball games.  However MLB Rule 21 is very clear on the penalty for betting on games.

 

No, he hasn't. He will never be able to pay his dues.

 

 

I missed the part where he went to prison for this whole time...you know, like murderers do. He's not allowed to participate in a livelihood due to his own actions. He's not incarcerated, he's not denied any liberties.

 

 

So what? This is when it was unsealed. Of course, to a Rose sycophant, the timing would always be fishy...after all, this year (like every one since 1990) is the year. It's like being a Cubs fan, just of a degenerate.

Saw an interview with the Outside the Lines guy at ESPN that turned it up.  The only reason they went digging is that Rose's story was heating up with the possible reinstatement.  He has a meeting with Manfred at some point after the all-star game.

 

Nobody put Rose in jail and took away his freedom.  He just doesn't get a plaque in the HOF.  He continues to be able to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in income based on his time in the game.  

 

IMO - Criminal comparisons are irrelevant here.  He broke the most important rule in the game.  The only one that carries with it a ban.  If baseball does not enforce it's own rule what would prevent some 3rd year pitcher earning about the $490,000 MLB minimum from tossing a World Series Game 7 for $10mm?  The reason the rule is there is to make sure that doesn't happen.  If it is not enforced - or players think that they won't be risking their careers it will happen sooner or later.

 

Being voted to the HoF, at least, is an honor and awarded, not an entitlement. Choices, off-field actions and behavior factor in. Had he not engaged in absolutely forbidden practices he'd have deservedly been a member of the HoF for many years. Not going to happen.

In addition to not being in prison (at least not for this offense), he spent most of those 25 years denying he had gambled.

Even when he did finally admit gambling (as a hook to promote book sales), he continued to insist he had never gambled as a player.

 

Evidence that his confession was incomplete--that it was only a grudging acknowledgement of what he knew could be proved, offered while continuing to lie about gambling as a player--should be relevant to the commissioner's consideration of his reinstatement request.

 

I find Rose apologists very interesting. If the foundation of the sport is built on tradition and respect for the game, then how do you let someone off who violated the most basic tenets of the game? Not only that, he has gone on to lie about it for 25 years. In my book, the punishment fits the "crime" and he should not be allowed in the HOF. He was a great player. But, as we all try to teach our children, the game is about much more than what you do on the field. It is how you represent yourself and your organization. I don't want my kid looking up to someone who showed such a blatant disregard for the integrity of the sport and has continued to be dishonest about his actions for so long.

 

And, just because I know it's coming, I don't think baseball has been hard enough on the players using PEDS. I am a fan of a lot of the guys who most likely used them in the heyday of the 90's and 2000's. They were wrong. They disrespected the game and the MLB should have been much harsher on them. I am betting you will never see any of them in the HOF, even without an outright ban.

I'm okay with Pete Rose joining the HOF.  Posthumously.   Make sure his display notes his flaws as well as his strengths.  And put Shoeless Joe in on the same day.

Life is full of complex, arguable issues; but, for me, this is not among them.

 

A man who (routinely) committed an offense which calls for him to be banned from his profession should not be enshrined in its Hall of Fame. Given his extraordinary feats on the field, I think it's an absolutely tragic occurrence; and I wish it weren't the case. However, the choices were his, and he knew the rule.

You likely to be right about that.  I would say this though about the PED's ...baseball tacitly endorsed them following the strike to drum up interest.  McGuire and Sosa and then later Bonds, Palmeiro, Rodriguez, Clemons etc. all had what amounted to a green light by the sport (but not the law) until about 2005 when Congress had its hearings.  Baseball was totally gutless in turning on these players after the fact when public opinion went against PED's.

 

Gambling is much different.  It is addressed every season and has signs posted in club houses of every Major League stadium and has for almost 100 years.  It is a clear line with no ambiguity whatsoever.  There is no defense for it.

With the latest revelations from ESPN, you could say that this Rose's chances of enshrinement wilted.