Pete Rose

He would probably have squeeked his way in if the whole "I was a 34 year old married guy with two kids and I admit to having a sexual relationship with a 16 year old girl" thing hadn't come along. Of course the girl says it all started before she was 16 (age of consent in Ohio) but it went away because it was merely sleazy, not clearly illegal, and probably not all that uncommon in the MLB.

It did derail his let me in campaign, though. I say let him in now.


I had completely forgotten about that episode. So I guess he didn't leave it all on the field, I guess he saved a little bit for after the games.
 
Enjoyed watching home play the Giants at Candlestick Park in the 70s. Huge personality, unlike most of the players today who come and go without much notice.

RIP Pete #14
 
The only professional baseball game I ever attended was a Cincinnati home game in the late 1970s and I got to see Rose hit a home run. What a thrill!

Also a thrill was drinks and dinner at the Playboy Club after the game.
 
I have very mixed feelings about Pete Rose and the Hall of Fame. On one hand, the only rule of baseball prominently displayed on a large sign in every clubhouse, at least during Rose's tenure as a player and manager, is the following:

(d) GAMBLING.

(1) 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 no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.

(2) 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 . . .

Rose admitted he bet on baseball, and further admitted that he bet on the Reds. I believe he further admitted betting on baseball from the clubhouse phone, in the days before cell phones. We have nothing if we don't adhere to the rules that were in place, and of which every player and manager was regularly notified . . .

On the other hand, when I call up MLB.com, I notice that the 2024 ALL MLB TEAM is sponsored by MGM Rewards . . .
 
I too have mixed feelings about Pete. I used to love watching him play and thought that that was the way the game was supposed to be played. His play and stats certainly made him eligible for the HOF but he knowingly broke the rules. As the old saying goes, "If you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences."
 

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