By Mark Dourmashkin, Staff Writer ||
Pete Rose took a gamble and lost. He lost money, his image, and the faith of millions of fans. Should he have been banned from baseball for life?
Pete Rose’s image may have been tarnished but his numbers don’t lie. Rose made hitting an art. He was nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” because of the way he played baseball. He was the centerpiece of the “Big Red Machine” which was the nickname for the Cincinnati Red’s team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1976. Pete Rose was a once-in-a generation type player.
Not many players can say they have played in three different decades and were a 17-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion and won a Most Valuable Player award.
When Pete Rose’s career came to a close in 1983, after 23 seasons, he was on top of the baseball world. Hall of Fame voters could not wait until he was eligible to join the most elite class in Major League Baseball. Thirty years later, that day still has not come.
In the mid 1980s, Rose shocked the baseball world. From 1985 to 1987 Rose was involved with the gambling enterprise. A two-month investigation showed that Major League Baseball had nine witnesses and collaborating evidence indicating that Rose had bet on baseball games that he managed. Commissioner Giamatti had no choice but to separate Rose from baseball.
Just six years before this incident, the name Rose and baseball were inseparable. Today, baseball fans still talk about Pete Rose, but for all the wrong reasons. He was destined to become a baseball legend; now his name is tainted forever. Pete Rose took a gamble and lost. He lost money, his image, and the faith of millions of fans. Should he have been banned from baseball for life? Did Major League Baseball make the right decision?
At the time, yes. If this incident happened today, the outcome would have probably been a lot different considering how Major League Baseball is handling the current steroid crisis in baseball. There are players today who are disrespecting the way baseball is supposed to be played by taking steroids. However, not one player who has taken steroids has been banned for life from baseball.
I would argue Pete Rose deserves a second chance. He made a mistake, accepted the ban, and eventually admitted to his mistake. The scandal still lives on today because of the player he once was. Rose filled stadiums and had people glued to the TV set to watch one of the best hitters to ever walk on a baseball field.
With that being said, Rose did learn his lesson. After accepting his ban from baseball, there has been no evidence of Pete Rose gambling again. He has paid his price and deserves to be reinstated back into baseball. When it comes to gambling you can also do it from the convenience from wherever you are from sites like https://www.onlinecasinogames.com/casinos/ca/
Senior Mark Dormashkin is a staff writer. His email is mdourmas@fandm.edu.