There has been a lot of discussion at In the Bullpen about what constitutes a Hall of Famer. The steroid scandals that have plagued Major League Baseball’s past decade have brought the issue to the forefront. Suspected—and later confirmed—dopers like Mark McGwire have thus far been kept out of the Hall.
But before the Cooperstown’s induction committee ultimately solves the question of whether cheaters do sometimes win, I think they need to rehash an issue looming over baseball for decades. Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame?
I know this isn’t exactly a fresh debate. It’s been addressed time and time again over the past 20 years. And why should I—a two-year-old when Rose hung up his cleats—care whether a gambler, tax evader and former prisoner gets honoured in the Hall?
I’ll give you a two word answer—Charlie Hustle. This was Rose’s nickname during one of the greatest careers in baseball history. I just can’t get past the fact that a man who played with enough heart to earn this nickname could have been blacklisted over the possibility of intentionally losing games.
Maybe this argument needs a little back story for all the youngin’s out there.
In 1989, Pete Rose was wrapping up one hell of a storied career. He had just spent 24 seasons playing in the big leagues primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, and six seasons managing the Reds.
His playing career was marked by an astonishing 17 All-Star appearances, three World Series championships and a Major League record 4,256 hits. He was Rookie of the Year, MVP and a three-time batting champion.
But Rose’s career was about much more than just numbers. Pete Rose played the game with a passion rarely seen before.
Rose was hardly a top-shelf athlete. He never had Mantle’s monumental power or Mays’ blinding speed. But his ferocity and determination helped him get to the top of his profession.
I’m hardly an authority to speak on a player I never had the chance to see play. But take it from the Reds’ legendary manager Sparky Anderson. Anderson once claimed that Pete Rose was baseball.
“Pete Rose is the best thing to happen to the game since, well, the game,” Anderson famously said.
Rose’s fiery temper and all out play not only made him one of the most successful ball players ever but also one of the most popular.
But things took a turn for the worse in 1989. Rumours began to swirl that Rose had for years been making bets on baseball games. Even worse, he was alleged to have wagered on Reds games while playing and managing.
A saga of blacklisting, denials, and banishment ensued and has yet to been resolved to this day. Rose went from denying all allegations, to admitting to betting on games, to eventually coming clean in a 2004 book, saying he had in fact put wagers on Reds games.
But Rose is still adamant he never bet against the Reds.
Major League Baseball’s argument is simple enough. Betting on his own team’s contests—while having a direct influence on their result—could have led Rose to fix games. This would be a scandal of Black Sock proportions and potentially grounds for banishment.
But I would like to ask Major League Baseball one thing. Did they see Charlie Hustle play? I can’t even watch the famous clip of Rose mercilessly running over catcher Ray Fosse during the All-Star Game and remotely question his dedication. The collision—and the shoulder injury it caused—nearly ruined Fossey’s career. And it happened in the meaningless All-Star Game! Rose never took a second off.
Let’s think about this. A man who built his career on running out every ground ball and sacrificing his body on every play can’t be denied recognition under suspicion of not trying his hardest!
The truth is that if Pete Rose threw a game fans would have known it. Rose played in fifth gear for 24 seasons and if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have lasted 24 games. He certainly wouldn’t have been beloved by so many. He wouldn’t have been Charlie Hustle.
Is it so hard to imagine Rose is telling the truth? Maybe he bet on his team every night because he knew his team had Pete Rose and Pete Rose was going to bust his ass for every victory. That’s where I’d put my money.
And if we accept Rose’s claims, what’s left to keep him out of the Hall? Sure, he was a degenerate gambler, a tax evader, and even had a post-baseball career in the WWE. Rose was no saint and certainly no genius. But being an upstanding citizen has never been a prerequisite for the Hall of Fame.
The great Babe Ruth was an alcoholic, a womanizer, and an alleged wife beater. Rogers Hornsby was an admitted member of the Ku Klux Klan. And then there’s baseball legend Ty Cobb. Cobb’s laundry list includes jumping into the stands to brutally beat a disabled heckler, and remorselessly stabbing a black night watchman who defended the black elevator operator Cobb slapped for being ‘uppity’.
Gentlemen and scholars, indeed. Is this the Hall of Fame or a parole hearing?
I can see no justifiable reason why these men are honoured while Pete Rose is chastised. Certainly Ruth, Hornsby and Cobb were too important to the game to be left out of the Hall. By Pete Rose is baseball. And Major League Baseball and the Hall of Fame will be remiss until they recognize this.
