In case you don't keep up with baseball, or you live under a rock 364 out of the 365 days of the year, let me tell you about Pete Rose. Peter Edward Rose was born April 14th, 1941 in Cincinati, Ohio. He played and mananged the game from 1963 to 1989. He was given the nickname "Charlie Hustle" after he drew a walk in a game and sprinted down to first base, something he was known for. You will never see another player who hustled and went all out in every play of the game, no matter the situation. Rose was banished from the game when accusations arose that he was gambling on baseball games. He admitted to these claims and remains banished from baseball, which keeps him from being eligible for Hall of Fame status. I am not here to defend what he did; I do think it was wrong, and he should have been punished for it. But I do not feel he should be denied the Hall of Fame. There are players in all sports who have broken laws, been arrested, spent time in jail, and even cheated in their game. So many of these players were allowed to come back and play, and with open arms. I find it very sad, and unfair as well, that these players were allowed back in the game while Rose, who broke a rule specific only to baseball and not a law that applies to every American, is still banished.
Ever heard of Roger Maris? Maris set the single season home run record of 61 in 1961. However, by that time baseball was playing 8 more games a season, so officials felt he had an advantage over the previous record holder, Babe Ruth. Because of this, an asterisk was placed next to his home run record in the record books. In 1991 that asterisk was finally removed, giving Maris the credit he deserved as the single season home run record holder. Sadly, he died in 1985, never getting to see his record displayed with pride...without that horrible asterisk. Do we really want to say the same thing about Pete Rose one day? The headlines would read "Pete Rose Inducted Into Hall of Fame....Never Lived to See the Day." Rose was a great ball player, and he deserves to be a Hall of Famer. |
