I know this has nothing to do with music but i just watched this special on PETE and i really cant believe he cannot get into the HALL OF FAME. I know he bet on games, he lied about it and denied it, but honestly that has nothing to do with what he did on the field. Never mind the fact that he holds most of the records in Baseball, but just the double standard of not letting him in is so funny. First of all there is a player from back in the early 1900's who is in there, who was convicted of murder! Another one who beat his wife and cut her throat in a fight, not to mention all the RACIST ones that are in there. So what kind of example are we setting, I mean just look at athletes of today, steroids, gun charges, assault and sexual assault charges left and right and we think that if PETE ROSE gets in the hall of fame that Baseball will be affected...Give me a Break, Let him in!

he is one of the greatest
he should be in and the senseless boycott of him should end

Wrong forum... but interesting subject just the same. I agree 100%. Babe Ruth was a drunkee and a whoremonger and he's in...just to name ONE example...But you know how it is in this country...Just pick ONE person and make an example out of them...

I remember my very baseball game my father took me to here in Atlanta back in 1975. It was my Atlanta Braves vs [color=red:570cce6d81:cb445d6f18]Cincinnati Reds... Man I witnessed a lot of legends that night...of course...there was Hank Aaron, Dusty Baker (who played for the Braves during that time}. Then on the Reds was Dave Conception, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffrey Sr., and ole Pete Rose...I used to love to watch him bat...I liked his batting stance{the way he slumped his back over} in the batter's box. I remember the night he became the player with the most single hits...He was a great player and he should be in the Hall Of Fame..despite his flaws and shortcomings.
[This message was edited Tue Jan 20 4:04:43 PST 2004 by BRO915]

lastdecember said:

No, he doesn't. Quite frankly I think this saga has been run ragged for 15 years now, and it's more overplayed than any AOR classic released 30 years ago. I couldn't care less about it, but I also believe there is more to the story than most of us know.

BRO915 said:

I am not a baseball fan, and I used to think the way you do. Now I am not so sure.

Judged solely by his accomplishments, there shouldn't even BE an issue. And yes, there have been some imperfect people who were not only elected to the HOF, but practically beatified by the baseball community. But while Babe Ruth was promiscuous and had excessive appetites, he never (to my knowledge) bet on baseball while he played, and he never bet on or against the Yankees. That's the baseball equivalent of mortal sin. As a lot of columnists have said, in every clubhouse a sign is posted warning players and managerial staff not to bet on the sport. Rose blatantly ignored those warnings, and when he was caught red-handed, instead of confessing at the outset, he stubbornly denied the allegations for almost 15 years and disparaged those who investigated him (all of whom were vindicated after his "confession").

I am sure he is in need of counseling, and he has paid a steep price already, but judging by MLB's standards, I can see why people are saying he should not be elected. Personal failings are one thing. Breaking the rules of the game is quite another. He dug himself a HUGE hole. Ask Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Right now, even if he were reinstated, my bet would be he does not get elected. He's essentially got 1-2 years, and if he's not elected by 2006, his candidacy goes to the veteran's committee, which I have heard will not elect him.

the fact that he only finallly admitted to it so that he could promote and sell a book nobody would be otherwise interested in, says a lot about his true remorse and character.

AaronAlmighty said:

I agree totally.

They should put JIM RICE in the hall of fame..

As for Gambling Pete.. yeah he deserves to be in there..
but it SHOULD SAY ON HIS PLAQUE that he TARNISHED THE GAME

Hits and stats are a milestone. But since he shamed himself and the game of baseball, he should have to wear the shame even if he is in the hall of fame. No way does he deserve a plaque reading "most hits ever and got away with murder period."

Savannah said:

If thats the case then OJ's plaque should be changed to Most Yards in a season and Got away with Murder.

What distinguishes Pete Rose is that, as a player-coach, he gambled on games when he had considerable control over their outcomes. It's the most egregious and corrupt thing you can do in sports. It threatens the very integrity of the sport, the entire league. It's the one thing you can do as a player or coach in any sport that will automatically get you banned. They tell you up front. They post permanent warnings in the locker rooms.
Because of the 1919 scandal, baseball adapted strict rules to protect the integrity of the games being played. Duh.

If,as a manager, you bet varying amounts on your team from night to night, as Pete did, you're telling gambling syndicates what you think about your team's chances that night, the strength of your pitching and hitting. And you're in a position to make decisions on the field as a manager to protect your bets or, alternatively, to provide information or manage in a way designed to settle debts.

The man was calling in bets from the fucking clubhouse for God's sake! Even in the face of phone records and confesions from the party at the other end of the line, he still denies it.

[We won't even get into the fact that, during all this, he gave a friend a suitcase full of money, with instructions to drive it down to South Florida to turn it over to someone who was going to "invest" it in an enterprise that would turn it into several suitcases full in a matter of days -- to relieve some of his gambling debts. Next time we're feeling a little pinched, why don't we all make the same investments? Or, better yet, cut out the middleman and go directly to the folks in Medellin.]

No. Betting on games isn't the same as being a murderer, drunk, coke-head, or racist off the field. All of those things may affect a player or coach's image -- and indirectly tarnish the image of the sport/business. But none of those things comes close to directly threatening or undermining the integrity of the game, which is its greatest and most important asset.

A player/coach not being able to give 100% because of illness/disease/addiction/hang-over/too much skirt chasing is one thing. A player/coach not giving 100% because it will improve his betting postion or reduce a gambling debt is another story.

Baseball has a strict policy of avoiding any connection with gambling whatsoever. Banning people who bet on the game may be harsh, but let's face it -- it's ridiculously easy to avoid such a ban: just don't be so incredibly STOOOPID as to bet on the game. Period.

My childhood idol, Willie Mays, was banned from baseball for a few years after retirement simply because he took a job as a casino greeter. Remember? I thought that was a little overkill, but the sport is zealous about protecting itself from the blatant corruption that any association with gambling can bring.

***

I say we let the motherfucker die and then make him eligble for election to the Hall. If he gets voted in, cool. Just deny him any opportunity to profit financially from having fucked the game's integrity in the ass, and then fucked it again by lying about it, and then again by pimping a remorseless half-confession in a book.

***

Note to Pete: In your next life, get in the Hall first. THEN corrupt the institution that has honored you. It's the much smarter approach.

If you want to vote in someone who demonstrates a lack of respect for the sport of baseball then of course vote in Rose.
By voting him into the Hall of Fame you acknowledge that he is a role model & someone who is to be admired.
And the message sent will be - its ok to break the rules.