Pete Rose Has Died

[Aragorn243]

Pete Rose passed away at age 83 today. Hopefully this ends his lifetime ban and he is admitted to the HOF. There is a lot of love and hate for this fellow but as the all-time Hits Leader, he belongs there.

[Fushigi Ojisan]

x.com

[MAC702]

Hopefully this ends his lifetime ban and he is admitted to the HOF.

He deserved to see it before he passed. There are players in there now who we now know shouldn't be.

[Aragorn243]

The entire thing just seemed like a ****ing contest. Had he bet on the opposing team and then thrown the game, that would be one thing, but he only bet on his team winning if it was a game he was involved with. It was a rules violation but did not deserve a lifetime ban in my opinion.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Childhood memory. Late 70's I think. St. Louis vs Reds in St Louis. Guy behind us kept yelling "Pete Rose you big dummy" without consequences until he polished off and threw his empty whiskey bottle over the fence at Pete.
Needless to say he did not see the end of the game. I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday but I remember that like I am still in the stands.
Add another vote to Pete Rose Hall of Fame posthumous induction. Forgiveness and redemption is overdue. Seems some folks love to hate him as I guess was the case with the bottle pitcher. Envy I would say.
RIP Pete and thanks for the memory.

[MAC702]

The entire thing just seemed like a ****ing contest. Had he bet on the opposing team and then thrown the game, that would be one thing, but he only bet on his team winning if it was a game he was involved with. It was a rules violation but did not deserve a lifetime ban in my opinion.

While I am in the camp that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for his playing, the true perspective is that his betting was more than just that he would place bets for his team to win. After all, every manager does that by accepting the job. But he had a serious gambling problem and at times owed knee-breaking bookies hundreds of thousands of dollars, back when that was a lot of money. He put himself into very compromising positions even if he never shaved performance for it. Said bookies also noticed when he did NOT place bets for his team to win on a day. They would adjust odds and place their own bets accordingly.

And then, of course, he publicly lied about it for 15 years, though I doubt an admission would have helped his eligibility. It's sad that he had the problem. He'd have probably been able to get more help for it these days, especially with MLB practically embracing gambling, even though the players obviously still can't.

[Ovidio]

That is a very difficult situation.
As a long-time sportsman, I don't know how I would react to something like that.
If he never altered games, then no real sin.
But the rules are still rules...
And then... greatness is still greatness... And I'm not a moralist, so I would probably put a heavy, definitive stone on it.
Still, can't clear my mind about that, really.

[Sapper740]

Pete Rose? Amazing talent but he was his own worst enemy and had questionable morals. Admitting to cheating on his wife with a teenager who was most likely under the age of consent, thumbing his nose at MLB by setting up a booth in Cooperstown, NY during HoF induction week to sign baseballs with "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" written on them, refusing to quit hanging out at casinos for a chance at reinstatement....the list goes on. If Pete Rose exhibited a tad more humility than hubris he would have been in the HoF long ago.

[Ovidio]

So, a wild guy.
Actually, what made sports incredibly fascinating quite some time ago.
I always think about Formula 1. I haven't seen a race since somewhere around the late nineties.
Can't stand all those little selfish robots.
I loved the crazy, heavy drinking, women-chasing fools of the previous decades.
When you cross certain lines, even if you're a God in your sport, you pay a price...
But people still love you.
I never heard about Pete Rose before. I'm learning a lot here.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

If Pete Rose exhibited a tad more humility than hubris he would have been in the HoF long ago.

I agree but not sure he had any of that. In my view his accomplishments and contribution to the game earned him a place in Cooperstown in spite of his flaws. Hope he makes it.