Rob Reacts…Pete Rose, other deceased players, reinstated by MLB

There was some breaking news at roughly 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. MLB commissioner Rob Manford announced that Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other deceased MLB stars are now eligible for the baseball Hall of Fame

I have some mixed feelings on this. Some arguments supporting the eligibility for deceased players. Some arguments that are dead said against the idea of the wedding any ineligible players in Cooperstown.

Rob Manfred caved for Donald Trump

Unfortunately, I think this is the biggest reason that this lift took place. Trump was very vocal about Rose’s reinstatement. And, if I recall correctly, Trump even met with MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred earlier this year. Unfortunately, like so many other “leaders” in this country, I believe that Manfred caved in to pressure from Trump. Granted, I am very left-leaning in my political views. Also, Trump didn’t begin making noise about Rose until after his death. So take this argument for what you will.

The glaring hypocrisy in MLB‘s relationship with sports gambling

For decades, baseball fans have been told that gambling is baseball’s Cardinal sin. It is the one thing that anyone even remotely affiliated with the game is forbidden from participating in.

That was all well and good, until Major League Baseball (MLB) started entering sponsorship deals with online gambling sites like DraftKings; or when actual sports books begin opening INSIDE MLB stadiums.

It’s extremely hypocritical to tell players and coaches that they cannot gamble on baseball; when the organization they work for is making money hand-over-fist from advertising deals with casinos and online gambling websites. Having said that, I still think that players or coaches being involved in gambling has the potential to absolutely alter the landscape of the game; just as the use of PEDs creates an uneven playing field for “clean” players. But I’ll get back to the Steroid Era in a bit.

A lifetime ban should end with a player’s death

It was never called “an eternal ban“. MLB and the Baseball Hall of Fame, which, by the way are two separate entities, only ever referred to the band of rose and other players as a “lifetime ban”. If that wasn’t the case, shouldn’t notice some players have been automatically removed from the ineligible list upon their death?

Shoeless Joe Jackson, the other player most likely affected by Tuesday’s events , is himself second all-time for MLB‘s career batting average. Jackson was a member of the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight White Sox players who allegedly accepted bribes to throw the 1919 World Series.

The Hall of Fame is a joke without Rose

The truth is, whether he’s an asshole or not, Pet Rose is MLB’s all-time hits leader. As such he has absolutely earned a place in the baseball Hall of Fame. The same could be said of Joe Jackson and his career accomplishments.

Of course…

This opens the doors for dirty players of the steroid era

Although they have not been outright banned, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Mark, Maguire, and countless others either caught using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) or suspected of doing so – have been snubbed by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). One has to wonder if this means that players from the Steroid Era will now have a better chance of being inducted in Cooperstown.

But here’s the thing…

Just because Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe, and these other players are now eligible for the baseball Hall of Fame, it does not mean that either the BBWAA members or the veterans committee will be willing to vote them in.

It’s important to remember that members of the baseball writers Association of America have the power to vote on contemporary players induction into the baseball Hall of Fame. A few years back, special committees were set up for the veterans, pre-integration and the dead ball era in which current Hall of Fame members are allowed to vote on induction of those players who have fallen off the Hall of Fame ballot after 15 years. Over the last few decades, members of the veterans committee have been split on whether or not they would induct Rose.

For more information on the Baseball Hall of Fame and its selection process, check out This Wikipedia page.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the next few Hall of Fame votes.

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