Pete Rose Belongs In The Hall Of Fame

This past week, Pete Rose’s application to be eligible for the Hall of Fame was turned down by the MLB.  Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 when he was found placing bets on the Cincinatti Reds from 1985-1987 while he was a player and manager for the team.

http://www.nydailynews.com

Rose, aka “Charlie Hustle”, put up Hall of Fame type numbers and set multiple records during his playing days.  He holds the record in hits, at bats, and singles.  Along with setting records, Rose was a winner.  He won three World Series titles, three batting titles, and one MVP Award.  He also made appearances in the All Star Game in 17 of his 23 seasons.

So why doesn’t the MLB let Pete Rose into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame?  Rose wagered on baseball games. A crime like that immediately puts him on the ineligible list for the Hall of Fame.   But there is a slim to none chance that he ever betted against his team.  That is where the question is raised.  Why is Rose not in the Hall of Fame?

Rose, over the course of his 23 year career, hit for a solid .303 average.  He also is the career leader in hits in which he passed Ty Cobb for first on the list.  Rose was also the reason for his teams winning three World Series with his passionate and aggressive style of play.

There is no doubt in my mind that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Period.  Yes he gambled, but it was not against his own team.  He simply bet money that his own team would win.  Wouldn’t you want someone with that much confidence in himself and that much passion in his teammates and players in the Hall of Fame.  Yeah it was for money, but that was almost 30 years ago.  How can you keep out the man who has the all time record in hits out of the Hall of Fame?  It makes no sense.

Ty Cobb was a great baseball player if not one of the best of all time.  His playing style was aggressive, and all he wanted to do was win.  Sounds a lot like Pete Rose, doesn’t it?  There was speculation that Cobb had killed a man.  Did the Hall of Fame do anything about it? Nope.  Is Ty Cobb a member of the Hall of Fame? Yes.  So according to the Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball,  gambling $30,000 on a baseball game gets you out of the MLB and killing a man keeps you in?  It doesn’t add up.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is meant to celebrate the greatest players and moments in America’s pastime.  The players that set records are meant to have a shrine in honor of their outstanding career and accomplishments.  Pete Rose’s record with the most hits in a MLB career is something that future hall of famers like Derek Jeter who is considered one of the best all around players in MLB history and member of the 3,000 hit club did not come close to.  It’s a record that if one day is even in consideration of being broken will be one of the most shocking feats in the history of sports.

It is time that Pete Rose should be let in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  There will be no other player who loved the game as much as Pete Rose does while excelling as much as he did in his profession.  It’s now or never.  Don’t keep a man out of something that he worked his whole life for and gave everything he had for the team he worked almost his whole career.  Let Charlie Hustle in Hall.