Upon Further Review: Pete has paid long enough
Most everyone who has read my columns over the last two years know how I feel about Pete Rose.
Baseball’s all-time hits leader deserves to be in the hall of fame, or at least that’s the way I see it.
It’s been 14 years sense Pete Rose received a lifetime ban from the game he loved so much.
Rose and his attorneys continue to work with commissioner Bud Selig on the terms of his readmittance into the game.
Now I know there are some of you who think Rose should stay banned from the game, and I understand that. But how big of mistake did he make?
It compares nothing, for example, to the likes of Kobe Bryant’s admitted case of adultery.
Bryant, who is charged with sexual assault, will no doubt return to the NBA when — or if — he is found not guilty. He committed adultery, and I think that’s worse than betting on baseball. Isn’t it?
Look at all the trouble Mike Tyson has been in throughout his boxing career. The man has been in trouble with the law more times than Bonnie and Clyde, but he still kept boxing.
I’m sure each and every one of you can sit down and think of many, many more who have found the wrong side of the law but still managed to keep participating in their sport.
When it’s all said and done, Rose is one of the greatest players to ever set foot on the diamond.
He has 4,256 hits and compiled a 412-373 overall record in parts of six seasons as Cincinnati’s manager from 1984-89.
His teams finished second in the National League West in all four of his full seasons as manager.
I could go on and on about what this man has accomplished in his 24-year baseball career.
The point I’m trying to make is yes, Rose did wrong and knows he made some mistakes. But if you compare his mistakes with others who have found misfortune in their careers, it really doesn’t stack up to sexual assault or adultery. now does it?
Rose’s name will always be synonymous with baseball — not for his lifetime ban, but for what he brought to the game. He showed his love and passion for the sport every time he stepped on the field giving 150 percent.
And now, Rose would like to return to the game as a manager and pass his enthusiasm of the game to younger players.
How we can let others back on the court or on the field after they have done wrong and not allow this man to return to the game he loves is beyond be.
Hopefully, the two sides can bring a close to this 14-year ban and put Rose and baseball back together.
The fans seem ready for a resolution, and most feel Rose has paid enough penalty.
In a recent poll by CNN, 67 percent of 11,500 voters believe Rose should be reinstated.
What he did deserved punishment, but 14 years is long enough.
Rose didn’t deserve the death sentence, and hopefully Bud Selig and major league baseball will do the right thing.