Pete Rose Case

It has been 26 years since Major League Baseball banned Pete Rose from the sport for life. In February of 1989, Rose was questioned by then retiring commissioner Peter Ueberroth amid gambling rumors against baseball’s all-time hit king. Rose denied the allegations, but on April 1, 1989, the IRS seized betting slips with Rose’s name, writing and finger prints on them. MLB announced it would launch a full investigation, which resulted in a 225-page report from investigator John Dowd known as the “Dowd Report”. The report, which was the equivalent of a baseball death sentence, outlined Rose’s gambling activities in full detail. Dowd’s report was given to new commissioner Bart Giamatti, who handed down a lifetime ban to Rose on Aug. 24,1989.

Fast

Unfortunately, the gambling scandal that tainted his career will always overshadow his talent. Many forget, however, that Rose purportedly always bet on his team to win. It’s believed Rose never bet against his own team, which discounts arguments of point shaving. Those who have talked to Rose, or even watched his interviews, can determine that he has a real passion for the sport of baseball. At the news conference, Rose spoke about being able to help others.

“That’s all I try to do is help people, whether it’s veterans, or whether it’s young players, or whether it’s veteran players, or whether it’s little league players,” Rose said. “You always have to try to help somebody.”

Manfred’s ruling almost guarantees Rose will never be reinstated to baseball in his lifetime. There is nothing that he, nor anyone else, can do to change those circumstances. I hope Rose has peace of mind knowing that he probably won’t have to deal with convincing another commissioner to allow him back into the sport he loves. Rose was a staple in the majors for a long time. He was a great manager and an even better player. Those aspects should outweigh his gambling