I'm sitting and reading an article in USA Today about Pete Rose and his elusive chase for baseball's most hallowed ground....The Hall of Fame. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-08-20-rose-hall-of-fame_N.htm
Pete is now well past the period for the baseball writers to vote him into the Hall. His fate now lies with the Veteran's Committee; a board of the 65 living Hall of Fame members. It is up to them, once his lifetime ban is lifted, to vote him in.
I find myself asking, "How did we get to this point?" Now I am a self-professed Pete Rose fan, so I'm not without bias in this matter. But looking at it as objectively as I can, the man really should be in the Hall based on what he did ON THE FIELD. As As a kid growing up in a town without a Major League team, I always watched Pete Rose. I marveled at his accomplishments, not because he could hit the ball 500 feet, or because he stole 100 per season, but rather because he went all out every single day. You never saw Pete take a play off. And all he wanted to do was win; whatever the cost. (Just ask Ray Fossey about Pete's will to win!!) I was not as talented as some of the other guys I played with. Not overly fast, decent arm. But I had that same will to win; whatever the cost. Pete used the talents he had, limited as they were and became the all-time hits leader in baseball. A record that will likely stand for a very long time. Pete showed up to play and play as hard as he could. "Charlie Hustle"....there's never been a more appropriate moniker for an athlete that I can think of.
Granted, Pete isn't the nicest guy in the world. Or at least that's his reputation. He can be abrasive, but only if you don't want to hear what's on his mind. He made a mistake in betting on baseball. Ban him from managing a team, but not from the Hall.
This, in light of the hundreds of players that we now know used illegal drugs to improve their game. THEY have influenced the game far more than Pete Rose ever did. 3 of the top 5 or 6 home run hitters of all-time have been linked with usage of steroids. Are you going to put them in the Hall? Then how do you leave Pete Rose out? It really does seem to me, after all the research I've done into his case that it was a personal thing between Pete and former Commissioner Bart Giamatti. When he died, he stated that he didn't want Pete in the Hall. His follower, Fay Vincent took the reigns and kept in step with Giamatti's wishes. He has been very outspoken on the issue. I guess it's the only limelight the little fat man gets these days.
Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame...............Period.
