Pete Rose wants back in baseball’s good graces. Again. Nothing’s changed, mind you, but he’s asking anyway. Again.
This time, another letter to commissioner Rob Manfred, which was leaked to the press, first reported by TMZ. As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal pointed out, it’s not surprising that something involving Rose looking for attention and a spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame was leaked to the media. Here’s another bet that it didn’t come from MLB’s side.
In 1989, Rose was banned for life for betting on Cincinnati Reds baseball games while he was the manager of the team. Know why he’s the only person in modern times to receive such a penalty? Because everyone in baseball knows the punishment for betting on games you’re involved in: a lifetime ban from the sport. There is no ambiguity, no gray area.
But Rose did it anyway, over and over while manager, got caught, then lied about it for years and years and years before finally admitting yep, he did exactly what he was accused of doing — and what the evidence showed.
He’s never shown any evidence of actual remorse, only said the things he thought would get him what he wanted when he finally realized there were no other options. Check out how he started the letter to Manfred: “I have apologized many times, both for betting on baseball games while managing the Cincinnati Reds and then for denying that I did.”
That’s how he started it. The very first thing he said. Basically, “I went through the motions, give me what I want.” Sheesh.
It’s easy to see through that, and to the credits of commissioners Manfred and Bud Selig, they’ve seen Rose for who he is. Manfred absolutely should not reinstate Rose. And baseball’s embrace of the gambling world — for fans — is not even remotely the same thing as a manager betting on games his team is playing. Period.
Beyond that, Rose’s other reprehensible actions brought to light — again — in Philadelphia this summer show why baseball should never again reinstate Rose. If anything, the Philadelphia experience is evidence that baseball should once and forever completely cut ties. No sanctioned appearances, no team activities, nothing. He does not deserve anything.
In early August, Pete Rose was honored at the Phillies game, along with his teammates from the club’s 1980 World Series-winning team. Baseball gave the club permission to invite Rose, which was necessary because he is on the banned list.
When at the game, Philadelphia Inquirer baseball reporter Alex Coffey asked Rose about the revelation in court in 2017 that Rose had a sexual relationship with a teenager in Ohio — she said in court filings that she was 14 or 15 but Rose said he thought she was 16 — and Rose dismissed the question.
He said, “I’m not here to talk about that. Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago, babe.”
When asked again about it, by a different reporter, Rose said. “And who cares what happened 50 years ago? You weren’t even born. So you shouldn’t be talking about it, because you weren’t born. If you don’t know a damn thing about it, don’t talk about it.”
Sorry, Pete. Statutory rape might have a legal statute of limitations, but there is no moral end date for being held accountable for actions that heinous.
Rose’s excuse for his actions? “Based upon my information and belief at that time, she was sixteen”
That’s it. It’s not a joke. His excuse as reported in court filings is, basically, “I thought she was 16.”
In Ohio, the legal age of consent is 16. The woman, listed in court records as Jane Doe, says they met in locations outside of Ohio, but Rose said it only happened in Ohio. And he only admitted this in 2017 after, conveniently, the statute of limitations had expired and he could not be charged with statutory rape. In the mind of Rose, he’s cleared of all wrongdoing and exempt from criticism. How dare anyone bring it up when he steps back into the public eye? Never mind that she was a child and he was a married father twice her age.
He says he believed she was 16, folks. No, really.
Which raises another question: Why in the world would anyone believe anything Rose says? Remember, this is the man who bet on baseball as an active participant in the game — as the Reds manager — then lied about it for decades even after accepting a lifetime ban from the sport before finally admitting that he did bet on baseball. The admission happened for two reasons: 1) He was selling a book; and 2) He somehow believed that despite breaking what is literally the only sacred rule in baseball — don’t bet on a game you’re part of — and lying about it for decades, that he’d be immediately forgiven.
Baseball needs to wipe its hands of Pete Rose for good. Completely.
Also, the Phillies deserve a ton of criticism for bringing Rose to their stadium to be honored that August weekend as part of the 1980 World Series team.
When making out the guest list, how hard would it have been to say, “Maybe we don’t invite the guy who admitted in court to having sex with a teenage girl, and who is a pathological liar, and, oh yeah, who is banned from baseball for life for violating the only sacred rule that strikes at the heart of the essence of sport itself, not just baseball.”
That would have been the better call.
And then, despite everything that happened before the game, the Phillies STILL decided to put Rose on the air during the game’s broadcast. Was anyone surprised when he made a joke about a “c—k high fastball,” made multiple references about testicles — size of racehorses testicles and a joke about color broadcaster John Kruk losing one to cancer — and said “s—t” live on air.
Seriously, it’s time.
Baseball — the teams he played for, the league itself and the fans who watched him play and once loved his hustle — needs to wash itself of him forever. The official August trip to the ballpark should be the last one of his life.
No matter how many letters he sends.
