A Rose in Cooperstown

Pete Rose should be reinstated into baseball and be apart of the baseball hall of fame. When players and coaches are up for the hall of fame, the voters look for how important that person was in the era he played in and how much of an impact he made toward the game.

He had 4256 hits in the regular season, the most of anyone all-time. He leads all players in games played, plate appearances, and at-bats. He was apart of an unprecedented 17 all-star games in his illustrious career. He won one MVP award, one Silver Slugger, two Gold Glove awards, a ROY award, and the Roberto Clemente award in 1976.

According to Baseball-Reference, Rose is clearly deserving of having a monument of his in Cooperstown. He ranks 15th in black ink (64 compared to the HOF average of 27), 24th in gray ink (239 compared to the HOF average of 144), 13th in the HOF monitor (308 compared to the ideal HOF number of 100), and 52nd in HOF standards (54 compared to the HOF average of 50).

Rose was even a great postseason player. He hit .321 in 67 career playoff games with an OBP of .388. He won three WS rings as a player. Many people criticize players for not winning World Series rings, as they are a key part in determining how successful they were on successful teams.

Yes, he bet on baseball; he cheated the game. But is that method of cheating any worse than what the players in today's era are doing? The players playing today are trying go gain a better competitive edge to compete and stay in baseball to help their teams and earn a better salary. Rose admitted to his wrongdoings and some of the game's legendary players have lied and not admitted to what they have done.

The 1919 Black Sox threw the World Series for money, but how do we know Rose was intentionally betting on other teams to win? How do we know he wasn't betting on his team to win? The fact of the matter is, we may never know all the bets he placed, but we do know that he did it. It was proven the Black Sox intentionally threw the World Series, but it is not proven that Rose intentionally threw games he was apart of.

Rose's credentials overshadow the negative things he has done toward the game. Pete Rose paid the price and has suffered, but he should not suffer forever.