Pete Rose...

[buckaroo]

I know this will get muggle's goat, but there seems to be a move to allow Pete into the HOF. Since Hank Aaron has stated that he thinks Pete should be allowed to enter the hall, there have been rumors that the selection committee (senior players etc.) have talked about it. Joe Morgan, who is one of the top officials of that group has denied that the committee has talked about it, but he does say that he has chatted about it with Henry and is like minded that Pete should be given a shot. My feelings are that the HOF is for those who have made a name playing the game. No one can deny that Pete was a major factor when he played. But those who want to deny him entry say it's because of his ethics. All well and good and I understand their reasoning, but I don't have to agree. If that were true, Babe Ruth should not be in the HOF and there isn't anyone on Earth that would agree with that.

 

[muggle not]

The HOF has survived very well without Pete Rose and I expect will survive in the future without him. the mighty Babe may have done certain things but he didn't sully the game's integrity by gambling on a game you're participating in.
Gambling on games while you are a player is baseball's biggest sin. my vote is....no-way-in-hell is he going to be voted in.

 

[wilson89]

I know this will get muggle's goat, but there seems to be a move to allow Pete into the HOF. Since Hank Aaron has stated that he thinks Pete should be allowed to enter the hall, there have been rumors that the selection committee (senior players etc.) have talked about it. Joe Morgan, who is one of the top officials of that group has denied that the committee has talked about it, but he does say that he has chatted about it with Henry and is like minded that Pete should be given a shot. My feelings are that the HOF is for those who have made a name playing the game. No one can deny that Pete was a major factor when he played. But those who want to deny him entry say it's because of his ethics. All well and good and I understand their reasoning, but I don't have to agree. If that were true, Babe Ruth should not be in the HOF and there isn't anyone on Earth that would agree with that.

Most hits of all time and not in the HOF . But it makes sense this case has been re-opened on the verge of the steroid era about to be up for voting in the next several years. I belelive he should be allowed to go into the HOF on the fact that the game he bet on had no impact with how his team played. As for the steroid era its gonna be insane for who is going to be inducted and who aint. Bonds, Palmero, Clemens, and others are going to be elligable soon and i wouldnt be suprised if they all get snubbed.

 

[muggle not]

Most hits of all time and not in the HOF . But it makes sense this case has been re-opened on the verge of the steroid era about to be up for voting in the next several years. I belelive he should be allowed to go into the HOF on the fact that the game he bet on had no impact with how his team played. As for the steroid era its gonna be insane for who is going to be inducted and who aint. Bonds, Palmero, Clemens, and others are going to be elligable soon and i wouldnt be suprised if they all get snubbed.

As well they should be snubbed.

 

[barelypure]

I know this will get muggle's goat, but there seems to be a move to allow Pete into the HOF. Since Hank Aaron has stated that he thinks Pete should be allowed to enter the hall, there have been rumors that the selection committee (senior players etc.) have talked about it. Joe Morgan, who is one of the top officials of that group has denied that the committee has talked about it, but he does say that he has chatted about it with Henry and is like minded that Pete should be given a shot. My feelings are that the HOF is for those who have made a name playing the game. No one can deny that Pete was a major factor when he played. But those who want to deny him entry say it's because of his ethics. All well and good and I understand their reasoning, but I don't have to agree. If that were true, Babe Ruth should not be in the HOF and there isn't anyone on Earth that would agree with that.

buck, I'll have you know Pete Rose is already in the Hall of Fame. You must not have been following the events. The WWE inducted Pete into the HOF 5 years ago; just before Wrestlemania XX.

 

[Benevolent One]

In my opinion, a Hall of Fame without the game's all-time hits leader is a joke.

Pete Rose was a Hall of Fame player, along with being a pretty lousy human being.

If it was a "hall of great guys" then less than half of the guys that are already there would be in. Guys like Ty Cobb wouldn't get elected in today's climate. Then again, a guy who was that big of a bigot would probably be killed in today's climate, so I guess that is kind of a moot point. Guys like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, etc. have already said that there were days they couldn't even have played without the use of alcohol to smooth out their hangovers from the night before.

I get the idea that Pete's betting on baseball called into question the games integrity. I really do get that. However, umpiring has done more to call integrity into question than Pete Rose ever did. And they do it on a nightly basis. How many times have you seen an umpire blow a call that decided a game. Did it make you wonder if the ump had money on the game? If it didn't, I want a dose of whatever it is you are taking.

Teams like the Indians, and Pirates have to trade away every good player they get because they don't have the revenue to pay them, that the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Angels, Dodgers, etc have.

Does that sound like integrity? Does that sound like anything close to a fair system. Baseball has a lot bigger problems than Pete Rose or Mark McGwire being in the Hall of Fame. Until there is a system in place for the smaller market teams to compete on a more level playing field, baseball will continue to suffer greatly in markets like Cleveland, Milwaukee, Kansas City, etc.

I'll continue to watch the Indians play this year, because I am an incurable die-hard fan. It may not be quite as often, as I made sure to watch evey game Cliff Lee pitched in this year. Now that Lee has been traded to the Phillies because the Indians couldn't afford to pay him after next season, that's no longer a reason to tune in. Of course, that in turn hurts their tv ratings, as I'm sure there are a lot of others who tuned in just to see him also. Therefore the gap widens even further. I'm sure the less die-hard fans are dropping off by the hundreds, every time something like this happens. My son loved Jim Thome. When Thome left for bigger money he lost most all interest in the game of baseball. He is certainly not alone.

The Indians have produced the AL's last two Cy Young winners. Those guys are now in New York and Philadelphia. Why? Because baseball doesn't care enough about the fans across the country to fix the system.

 

[muggle not]

B.O., how many umpires are in the HOF? How do you compare an umpire against a Pete Rose.

I also don't agree with the comparison of a Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth against a Bonds, McQuire, or Clemens who tried to "cheat" their way into being a great ballplayer. Mickey and Babe's carousing and hell raising had nothing to do with trying to increase their baseball performance. Hell, it is a crime to compare a steroid guy against the likes of a Roberto Clemente and would be a total embarassment to see their statue in the HOF next to a Clemente or Ted Williams to name a few.

 

[Benevolent One]

B.O., how many umpires are in the HOF? How do you compare an umpire against a Pete Rose.

Actually, I think the home plate umpire has as much if not more impact on any particular game than a great player does. It seemed Tom Glavine won 20 games a season several times without ever even throwing a strike. He constantly threw the ball 6-12 inches outside and it was called a strike consistently. Most games are impacted greatly by whether the home plate umpire has a "hitter's strike zone" or a "pitcher's strike zone". Whatever happened to the actual strike zone? If a throw beats a runner to the bag, he is often called out regardless of if he is even tagged or not.

Of course, if baseball simply held their umpires accountable for their performance, that would change. Nobody is perfect, but a lot of these guys give you the impression that they just don't care.