Induction Injustice

What a horrible two days for Cincinnati sports fans. On Sunday, my beloved Cincinnati Bengals not only lost to their AFC North division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they also lost quarterback Andy Dalton for a few weeks due to a fractured thumb. As if that was not bad enough, Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced on Monday that he would not lift the ban from baseball on Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose thus essentially nullifying any hope that the “Hit King” might one day take his rightful place in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. So why am I talking about these two topics?

With next week being the week of Christmas, I will be uploading two blog posts this week. Each will discuss either the Dalton injury or the continuation of Rose’s ban from baseball. Not jovial topics for Cincinnati sports fans during the “most wonderful time of the year,” but topics important enough to warrant discussion from me. This post is about Pete Rose’s continued banishment from Major League Baseball and the Hall of Fame.

I want to start this post by saying that I am a diehard fan of the Cincinnati Reds and believe that Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He had a career that many dream about and few actually achieve, and his accomplishments on the field are nothing short of legendary. I understand that Rose broke the rules established by Major League Baseball in regards to gambling. I understand that Rose agreed to and accepted the banishment from baseball and lied about his gambling for years. I understand that Rose has apparently not learned from his banishment as he continues to gamble on sports including baseball. What I cannot accept is the hypocritical nature of Major League Baseball.

MLB promotes fantasy sports gambling companies such as FanDeul and Draft Kings. They are fantasy sports sites in which users can gamble on baseball. This is clearly the pot calling the kettle black. MLB has a firm stance on being against gambling yet it promotes fantasy sports gambling companies and in turn receives revenue from these promotions.

Also, former big league stars such as Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire used performance-enhancing drugs during their playing days. This tainted the sport of baseball much like the Black Sox Scandal did in 1919. The outcomes of baseball games during the “steroid era” were in doubt not because of gambling like what the 1919 Chicago White Sox did, but because these “sluggers” were helping their teams win by cheating and not by talent. However, these cheaters are not banned from MLB and are still eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame while Rose, whose accomplishments on the field were due to pure baseball talent, is not.

In conclusion, I think it is completely ridiculous that Rose does not have the chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. While I understand MLB’s rule on gambling, I do not understand how it promotes fantasy sports gambling and allows former players who used performance-enhancing drugs to still have the opportunity for Hall of Fame induction. In my opinion, Rose does not even have to be let back into MLB. He should just have the opportunity to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I believe that the commissioner could have asked to have Rose placed on the ballot. If he receives the necessary amount of votes to get in, great. If he does not, at least he was given the opportunity. The decision by the commissioner to uphold the ban pretty much guarantees that the “Hit King” will never be enshrined in Cooperstown and proves that MLB is a hypocritical baseball entity.

Looks Bleak for Pete

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is the one place on Earth where the greatest players, coaches, and other people associated with America’s pastime are enshrined for their accomplishments in relation to the sport. Legends like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Joe Morgan among others are honored inside the hallowed halls of Cooperstown because of their incredible ability to play the game of baseball. The list of baseball hall of famers is a who’s who of legends associated with the sport that exemplify true baseball greatness. Despite this list of incredible heroes of the diamond, another list exists that possibly outweighs and overshadows the hall of fame: the list of people banned from Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Perhaps the two most well known people banned from both MLB and the National Baseball Hall of Fame are “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. Last week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred denied the reinstatement of Jackson who was banned from baseball for his alleged involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. According to reports, Manfred had read what former commissioners Kenesaw Mountain Landis and A. Bartlett Giamatti had said about Jackson's banishment before deciding to uphold the decision set by Landis. For Rose and Reds Country, this is a bad sign.

Manfred is reviewing Rose's banishment and said that he would make a decision on it by the end of the year. Rose was banned from Major League Baseball in 1989 and subsequently the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 after the hall of fame made it a rule that anybody on the permanently ineligible list of MLB would not be considered for induction. His banishment was a result of his gambling on baseball while playing for and managing an MLB team, which violates the rule MLB had put in place as a result of, ironically, the Black Sox Scandal.

Many people, including myself, felt that this was Rose's best shot at getting reinstated as Manfred appears to be open minded when it comes to baseball. After all, he did agree to take another look at the case in a year in which the Reds were hosting the All-Star game as well as giving out an MLB approved bobblehead of Rose. It seemed that the stars had aligned for Rose and Reds Country as all signs appeared to point to the hit king taking his rightful place inside the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. The ruling on Jackson's banishment, however, paints a different story as it shows that perhaps Manfred is not willing to go against his predecessors. Factor in the new and damaging evidence against Rose in relation to his gambling that was brought to light earlier this summer, and the outlook for the reinstatement of the Charlie Hustle is bleak.

Personally, I think both Jackson and Rose should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Their careers were indeed of legendary status and their accomplishments on the field were incredible. The hall of fame just seems incomplete without them. I believe they at least deserve the chance to be put on the ballot. Unless they are taken off the permanently ineligible list of MLB though, it will never happen. Manfred already denied “Shoeless” Joe. I hope the outcome is not the same for Pete.

Rose for the hall!