Some Thoughts on Pete Rose

With Hank Aaron saying that Bud Selig should consider re-instating Pete Rose, and then Bud Selig saying: “Go get me my considering cap!”  The Should-Pete-Rose-be-in-the-Hall-of-Fame-or-Not debate has been aroused for roughly the 3 trillionth time in the past 20 years. I woke up to Mike & Mike babbling on about it this morning. The one thing I took away from that argument is that if he gets into the Hall then you have to let all the steroid users into the Hall. I think you can hear the discussion somewhere in here. Then I read a Buster Olney blog post, which basically said Rose was really, really good, but also a real bastard. In the end, Olney remains non-commital. Anyway, briefly, here are my thoughts. In three parts:

1.) When did Hank Aaron become baseball’s morality police? I mean, I like the guy. Seems like a good person. Great ballplayer. One of the greatest, in fact, but I just find it odd that he mentioned that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, and Selig is like, yes sir, right away , sir. When for years, Selig has always responded with a terse “no” whenever the question arises.

2.) The Mike and Mike argument

Pete Rose and steroid users are not the same. ‘Roiders cheated. Rose did not. His performance was his performance. So that debate should end five minutes ago. By letting Rose in the Hall, it in no way entitles steroid users to a place there, too.

3.) Why does it matter that the guy’s a bastard? Ty Cobb was the biggest bastard of them all, and he’s in. Oh, and guess who’s the only person in the history of baseball with more hits than Ty Cobb? Yep, Pete Rose. Listen, there are plenty of ex-ballpayers and Hall of Famers who are jerks and try to monetize everything that comes their way. That’s no reason to exclude them from the Hall of Fame.

OK. I’ll get off my soapbox and get back to mercilessly mocking sportswriters soon.