Well, that didn鈥檛 take long.
Instead of celebrating Pete Rose for his incredible baseball career and reflecting on his unfortunate decision making, which became the only thing that stopped a hard-charging superstar鈥檚 ability to slide headfirst into the Hall of Fame in first-ballot fashion, what could have been a constructive conversation quickly detoured to the lowest road possible.
If baseball had any semblance of a heart, breathless talking heads who usually can鈥檛 be bothered to discuss the sport proclaimed, the death of baseball鈥檚 hit king should render his Hall of Fame wait complete 鈥 immediately.
鈥淢urderers have been let off quicker than Pete Rose has,鈥 gasped ESPN鈥檚 Stephen A. Smith, who probably wouldn鈥檛 recognize a baseball if a foul ball landed in his lap.
There are some pretty obvious problems with this week鈥檚 popular stance.
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Rose鈥檚 ban for betting on baseball, issued in 1989, wasn鈥檛 just for the duration of his life. It was, as Cincinnati Enquirer baseball writer Gordon Wittenmyer reminded folks who care about the details, a permanent ban that Rose himself agreed to at the time. Rose remains on baseball鈥檚 permanently ineligible list, and it remains the stance of the Hall of Fame that anyone on that list is blocked from Cooperstown.
Should Rob Manfred or a later commissioner change that? Should the Hall of Fame alter its stance?
No. And no.
Rose didn鈥檛 just bet on baseball as a player and manager. He bet on his own team. He lied about that and only admitted to the betting and the lying when he was trying to move the needle with a tell-all book. He then used his connection to betting to earn money on the casino touring circuit. 鈥淐harlie Hustle鈥 was a hustler, and he profited from his outsider status.
No problem with that, but it never painted a convincing picture of remorse. Rose leaned into the baseball outlaw image. Baseball kept score.
Unlike certain Hall of Fame hopefuls who can argue with some legitimacy that baseball鈥檚 see-no-evil stance on performance enhancing drugs for years left a lot of gray area for them to operate in, the same argument can鈥檛 be made about betting in baseball. Ever since 1927, after the Black Sox scandal of 1919, MLB Rule 21 has been in place and prominent.
No betting on baseball.
And definitely no betting involving your own team.
Do the latter, and you鈥檙e done for good. This was never some glossed-over demand.
I like how former catcher turned analyst A.J. Pierzynski put it this week on his 鈥淔oul Territory鈥 baseball show. Instead of joining the feel-good herd calling for Rose鈥檚 case to be reconsidered, he reminded people just how well each and every player comprehends the fine print about betting on baseball.
鈥淗e should not be in the Hall of Fame,鈥 Pierzynski said. 鈥淵ou sign Article 21 when you go into every spring training. There is Article 21 on every wall. You do not bet on baseball. You do not bet on baseball. It is a lifetime ban if you bet on your team. It is a one-year ban if you bet on the sport in general. You have to sign it. They say it in English, in Spanish. They鈥檒l get it in any language you want to hear.
鈥淭o me, he knew what he was doing. He just didn鈥檛 think he would get caught.鈥
Those who rush to claim Rose鈥檚 betting should be viewed more favorably because he claims to have always bet on his own team can鈥檛 answer the questions they tend to ignore. Was Rose telling the truth about that? And even if so, what did it say about the games in which he did not bet on his team?
I鈥檒l object, too, to the narrative that says Rose should be a Hall of Famer now because baseball has gotten into bed with sports betting. Whether you love to place bets or despise America鈥檚 continued embrace of legal sports wagering, there has to be a clear line rigorously upheld between those whose efforts directly impact the product on the field and everyone else.
When the integrity of the game goes, everything goes.
It actually seems more important now than ever before that players, coaches and managers have a real sense of what they can lose if they get busted betting on baseball. Rose didn鈥檛 lose everything, but he did lose his place in Cooperstown.
It鈥檚 a sad story, but forced happy endings should be saved for fairy tales. Rose is a cautionary tale, and a timely one.
He can鈥檛 be a Hall of Famer, and to make him one now wouldn鈥檛 just be cruel because it would happen after his death at the age of 83. Allowing it would undercut the importance of the message being delivered to today鈥檚 clubhouses regarding the risk of putting your legacy on the line if you choose to ignore baseball鈥檚 clearest rule.