Pete Rose: A Hall of Fame Career, But Not a Hall of Fame Life

Let’s do the easy part first.  Pete Rose was not just a great baseball player.  He was historically great.  He holds the record for the most hits, 4256, in the history of the game.  He had to pass Ty Cobb to set the record.  Any student of baseball history knows how big a deal this is.

His approach to the game earned him the name of Charlie Hustle.  Rose ran to first base after being walked.  Nobody ever played the game harder.  Every at bat, every time on base, every ball hit in his direction, the story is the same.  If there were a Hall of Gamers, there would be no argument here about him belonging. or not.  However, when it comes to the Hall of Fame membership, things get a whole lot more complicated.

In every locker room in Major League Baseball (MLB), a sign is posted.  It warns against gambling on any baseball game.  Rule 21 says: “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”

Pete Rose ended his playing career after the 1986 season.  That season, he was also the manager of the Reds.  He remained manager until 1989, when he accepted a suspension with a lifetime ban imposed by Commissioner Bart Giamatti.  A six-month investigation conducted by the legendary lawyer, John Dowd, revealed Rose had bet on baseball games, including games he managed.

You do not need to have season seats to conclude betting on a game where you control who plays, and when they do, might raise a few eyebrows.  For years, Rose maintained his innocence.  It was not until 2004 that he admitted he bet on Reds games when he was manager.  His defense was that he never bet against his team.  Gosh, do you think bookies might take the lack of a bet as being Rose’s view of his team’s chances of winning?  I bet on the team when I think we will win; I don’t when I believe we’re not going to.

If you follow baseball even a little bit, you can see how Rose was in a position of burning his best relief pitchers in games he bet to win and not doing so in games he had not bet.  His actions put the very integrity of the game under suspicion.  That is no small thing.

At the time of his suspension, Commissioned Giamatti offered Rose a path back.  He would have to admit to the facts and “show a redirected, reconfigured, rehabilitated” life, emphasizing the choice was Rose’s.

To say that Rose did not quite live up to those terms is an understatement.  Beyond continuing to deny the obvious truth, he managed to plead guilty to tax evasion in 1990, spending five months in a federal prison.  In 2017, it was reported a woman had filed a sworn statement accusing Rose of having engaged in a sexual relationship with her when she was 15.  At that time (1975), he would have been 34 and married with two kids.  Ever the rationalizer, Rose defended himself by saying he had thought she was 16.

Finally, in 2004, he admitted to gambling during his time as manager.  He could not see where the problem was, since he never bet against the team.  That remained Rose’s definition of coming clean until his death in 2024 at the age of 83.

For many years, those clamoring for him to be included as a member of the Hall of Fame would acknowledge Rose had done some bad things.  You know, “made some poor choices,” but he was not alone in failing to be a perfect kind of guy. 

With his passing, the argument now is that since he is dead, there is no reason to keep him out.  That fully recognizes his accomplishments without allowing him to enjoy the moment.  Recently, Commissioner Rob Manfred freed those voting for induction to consider Rose without attention to what had caused his suspension.  It is important to note that there is plenty of recognition at the Hall for his feats.  He is just not a member

As a baseball fan, I know mine is the minority opinion.  My vote is a resounding no. Rose repeatedly ignored the most sacred rule in the game (and denied it), bringing the integrity of the competition under justified question.  Before and after the suspension, it is clear to me that his life choices were more than imperfect.  They were awful.

Common Sense: Pete Rose does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame as a member.  The “poor choice” crowd always tosses in “choices have consequences.”  There is such a thing as a hanging offense.  Mr. Rose is guilty.