KC Kingdom Editorial: Should MLB Lift Ban on Pete Rose
By Paul York
Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
The Solution
Ah, but what about the Hall of Fame?
The Hall of Fame is a different story. The Hall of Fame is a different entity altogether than MLB. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed upon players who played the game at the highest of levels, for a considerable length of time. I’d argue that the Hall of Fame has gotten fairly soft lately in who they induct, and has become the Hall of Good Not Great, but that’s another story.
If Rose has earned anything in this life, it’s a Hall of Fame induction. Despite his transgressions, you cannot take away what he did on the field. How absurd does it look that the guy with the most career hits in the history of the game is not in the Hall of Fame?
The game should honor it’s best players, and Rose certainly fits that bill.
I mentioned Ty Cobb in this piece for a reason. One, he held the record before Pete Rose. Secondly, he is/was a no-doubt Hall of Fame inductee.
You know what else Cobb was? He was a racist. He was a bigot. He was a violent man who tried to inflict harm on others on and off the field. Would I consider him for the Nobel Peace Prize? Probably not, but Cobb was one of the best ball players to ever play the game, and THAT’S why he’s in the Hall of Fame.
There’s no language in Rose’s lifetime ban that says he’s ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Nor should there be. That would be like saying if you get fired from one job, you’ll never be eligible for promotion or award/raise in any other job the rest of your life. That’s ridiculous. The Baseball Writers Association can and should change this, and they should do it immediately.
Why should they change it? There are a lot of reasons really. What comes to mind initially is my wife’s go-to response when she disagrees with something, “That’s stupid”, but paramount over everything else is that it’s in the best interest of the game. The game should honor it’s best players, and Rose certainly fits that bill.
Next: In Conclusion