  |
|
|
|
Pete Rose's Gambling TroublesBaseball's Hit King Remains Will Likely Never Be ReinstatedCharlie Hustle has been banned from baseball for almost twenty years, and has almost no chance of ever being allowed back into the game.
Let’s get a few things straight. First and foremost, Pete Rose could play baseball. During his career, he won three batting titles, an MVP award, three World Series rings, and collected more hits than any player in the game's history. He was also among the two or three most popular and most well-known stars during the 27 years that he played and managed in the big leagues. From the time he was a green 23-year old rookie for the Cincinnati Reds, the enthusiastic kid Mickey Mantle dubbed Charlie Hustle, to that day in 1986 when he surpassed Ty Cobb as the all-time hit king, there was nobody better or more famous than Pete Rose in the game of baseball. Period. And there may have been no player who was more revered. Fathers told their sons to emulate Rose on the field: run down to first base if you draw a walk, run hard and slide even harder, even if you have to flop on your belly. Tear it up; do it for the team; leave nothing on the field. That was Pete Rose. And everybody may not have loved him, but everyone surely respected him on the baseball diamond. Banned From Baseball For GamblingUntil August 24, 1989, that is. On that day, Rose accepted a sentence from then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti of lifetime banishment by going on the permanently ineligible list. An independent investigation conducted by John Dowd found that Rose had gambled heavily on sporting events while he managed the Reds. Although the report didn’t officially find that Rose had bet on baseball, his gambling violated baseball’s rules against betting on sports. Although the ban stated that Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year, it did not bind baseball to accept such a bid. For years, Rose claimed that he had been duped by Giamatti, arguing that he thought he was merely signing a one year ban, and not the permanent banishment to which his signature suggests he agreed. Rose also denied that he gambled on baseball. Although he admitted to horse, dog and casino gambling during the 1990s, he adamantly refused when asked about betting on baseball. These repeated denials were believed by many Rose loyalists, including former teammates Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan, who repeatedly put their good names on the line by saying they believed their friend. Schmidt and Morgan weren’t alone. In 1999, when Rose was voted to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team, he was allowed to take the field during the honorary ceremony held at Fenway Park before that year’s All-Star game, and Rose received a 10-minute standing ovation from the crowd. At the time, it seemed as if Rose was on the brink of reinstatement. But it never happened. Although Rose applied for reinstatement and eventually met with Commissioner Bud Selig to discuss the issue, Selig never took action on the application. His refusal to reinstate Rose led to speculation that there was evidence that Rose had bet on baseball. In a 2002 interview, Dowd stated that he believed that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them. Dowd's statement infuriated Rose's many supporters, but in time, it became clear that Dowd was right on point with his accustations. Rose's ConfessionIn his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, Rose admitted publicly to betting on baseball games and other sports while playing for and managing the Reds. He also admitted to betting on Reds games, but said that he never bet against the Reds. He repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. He also said in the book that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so that he could reapply for reinstatement. In a March, 2007 interview on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Rose said, "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team," he said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game." What He LostAs of 2008, Rose is still banned from the game, and is not eligible for the Hall of Fame. He has not set foot on a big league ball park since the 1999 All-Star Game.
The copyright of the article Pete Rose's Gambling Troubles in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish Pete Rose's Gambling Troubles in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
