MLB commissioner Bud Selig was recently appointed a 2 year contract extension and clearly he has done a lot to baseball. His major contributions include: expanded replay, the importance of the All-Star game, and now he has proposed an extra wild card team for the AL and NL. As a fan I can say I am ultimately in favor of his work as commissioner. However, in order for him to be considered one of the great innovators of the game, he must have one last hurrah. What must it be? Well, he needs to induct Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame. It will never make sense why Pete Rose is not inducted in the Hall of Fame. The man is the career leader is hits with 4,256 hits, he has a .303 career average, he is a three time World Series winner, won an MVP and truly earned his nickname “Charlie Hustle.”
Rose currently has a lifetime ban from baseball for betting on his team when he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds. However, Rose bet only on his team to win. Rose was a great player due to his confidence and attitude. Unfortunately, that same confidence gave him a lifetime ban from baseball. Confidence should never be a punishment is sports. Yes, he broke the rules by betting, but there is no way he deserves to be punished the way he has.
If Rose is not allowed in the Hall of Fame, then many others shouldn’t as well. If we take off-the-field issues into account, many great players wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. The old hits leader Ty Cobb is a well known racist man, who also sharpened his spikes to hurt opponents, among other unsportsmanlike acts. Also, one can say that many white players that are all-time greats shouldn’t be in, because some of the best competition was in the Negro League and they couldn’t compete against great white players.
The Hall of Fame is for great on the field play, and Rose is clearly one of the best ever. It’s sad enough that the career home run leader may not make the Hall of Fame for off the field issues, but that is a different circumstance. Barry Bonds’ steroid use helped his results on the field, while Rose’s acts had nothing to do with his play. Not having the career hits leader of America’s past time in the Hall of Fame is a shame and Bud Selig’s last hurrah as MLB commissioner needs to be getting Charlie Hustle in the Hall of Fame.
Categories: Sports
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