Pete Rose Should Be in the Hall of Fame
Major League Baseball is inducting their newest class into the Hall of Fame today. It is a cherished accomplishment for any Major Leaguer, but not every worthy candidate makes it into the elite club. In today’s world statistics are everything, simply watch “Money Ball” to get the idea. Questionable candidates are included, and worthy ball players sit waiting. One player, in particular, has all the stats, awards, and changed the game, yet he is not in the Hall. This needs to be fixed.
Sports Writers are currently excluding great players because they supposedly used performance-enhancing drugs. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmero, Sammy Sosa, etc will not be enshrined under the current mindset of these writers. These guys have great stats, but they even pale in comparison to Pete Rose. Pete Rose is banned from the league for gambling. He bet on baseball games, not any games he was involved in, but on games in the other league.
The Hall of Fame voters have not exactly been consistent in their voting. They enshrined Ty Cobb, who entered the stands and beat up a handicapped fan. He, also, bludgeoned a black groundskeeper and his wife. Cobb was believed to be a racist. Hank Aaron and Willie Stargell admittedly used amphetamines. Stargell was, also, known to distribute them to his teammates. Both were first-ballot Hall of Famers. Rogers Hornsby admitted cheating and watching his teammates cheat each and every day. Gaylord Perry admitted to throwing a “grease ball” or “spitball”. He would put grease on a few spots on his body so he wouldn’t get caught going to the same spot every time. All these men are in the Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the most loved name in baseball’s past is Babe Ruth. The Babe epitomizes baseball. He was a home run hitter before it was cool; he was a pitcher and position player before Shohei. The robust hurler deserved to be in the Hall statwise, but he was a true scoundrel. Babe Ruth was an alcoholic. He came to the ballpark already inebriated. Ruth, also, was a legendary womanizer. At every stop, he would find a lady or send someone out to find a lady for him. In today’s world scandal would follow the Babe everywhere he went.
The case for Pete Rose speaks for itself. Pete sports a career batting average of .303. He scored 2,165 runs, popped 1,314 RBI’s, stole 198 bases, and belted 160 home runs. All of these career stats should make him eligible already, but his “awards” make him truly stand out. Pete was Rookie of the Year in 1963. He was the league MVP in 1973. Rose was a 17-time All-Star, three-time Batting Title Champion in 1968, 69, 73, World Series MVP in 1975, a Silver Slugger winner in 1975, and a two time Gold Glover in 1969,70. If you still aren’t convinced, let me continue. Pete Rose is Number One in history in career games played. He is number one in career singles with 3,215, and number two in career doubles with 746. Basically, Pete Rose was a hitting machine.
His playing career puts him above almost all other players. His off-the-field miscue is all that is keeping him from the Hall. This miscue occurred while he was managing in the MLB, not while he was playing. If the voters want to ignore his managerial career, by all means, do that. Do not leave one of the best players in history out of this club because of gambling when you have racists, womanizers, druggies, alcoholics, and plain cheaters enshrined. Wake up! Put Pete in the Hall!
Herbs on Sports 