False Equivalency Theater, Starring Pete Rose

thinks he should be in the Hall of Fame.

You’re dissecting the crap Pete Rose says, but how is that relevant? Pete Rose is a clueless, self-serving, douche who likes to make excuses for himself. Everyone knows that.

Pete Rose the human being is a jerk.

Pete Rose the baseball player should be in the Hall of Fame. It’s a shame he isn’t.

Perhaps I am going to date myself here, as an old fart, but, I grew up playing thrid base because of Pete Rose. He played on the Big Red Machine, along with such greats as Bench and Seaver, he, set the standerd by which players of today, play towards. He has not done anything that people do not do everyday. Everyone buys a lottery ticket, or, raffle ticket, buys a square in the Super Bowl pool, so, why is he so bad? Look at some of th eplayers in the HOF, wife beaters, drug addicts, cheats and liers, but, none of them bet on sports, so, it’s ok. Its time to stop sending mixed messages, that, drug addicts can get off drugs and alcholics can dry up, and, be forgiven, but, if you bet of sports its a sin that will never be forgiven. Rose played the game hard and went out to win every game, and, the HOF is all about his days as a player, not, a manager. If one steroid using player gets in the HOF then, Rose should be next in line.

If Rose only bet on his own team to win, how does that affect the two factors you claim make sports compelling? IMO a lot depends on the nature of the betting

It feels like I’ve read this article dozens of time already too.

As a kid growing up, and watchiing the big red machine, I remember Rose playing, and, that is what I remember. I dont really care if he bet on baseball, or not, that has no bearing on what he did for the game, as a player. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, these guys where far from gems, as, people, they have a few skeletons in the closet, so, why the double standerd? I think Rose was one of the great players to play the game, and, I have a right to my opinion, just, as you have a right to yours. LETS GO METS!!!!

to remember the joke about the guy going to the barber and the barber asking him if he wanted the Moe Howard or the Pete Rose?

he will still be in the record books and encyclopedias forever— as will Baroids and “Big Mac” etc.

I did see Pete Rose play and I am not going to defend his actions or say he should be in the Hall of Fame. However saying PED use was basically okay because these guys were just trying to improve their performance is as big a cop out as Rose saying he didn’t bet against his own team. The steroid use of the 1990-2005 eara is a huge problem for so many reasons.

1. Players Health – Steroids are banned in most sports in part b/c they have tremendous health side effects both short and long term including heart, kidney and liver problems. I can’t be the only one who wonders if Darryl Kyle, may he rest in peace, had blocked arteries in his heart due to steroid use. Heart disease is one of the side effects of steroids use and blocked arteries in the heart is a pretty unusual thing for an early 30s pro athlete. My guess we will soon start seeing relatively young former ballplayers come down with all sorts of diseases/cancers related to steroids abuse.

2. Unlevel Playing Field – Steroid use created a tremendously unlevel playing field and put pressure on the non-users to use. This was especially true with the marginal players who could be cut if they didn’t use and the older players who wanted to extend their careers (notice 35 yos now play their age). It is not good for a sport to be in the position where rampant PED use puts pressure on people concerned about putting the poison in their body to do so to keep their job.

3. Stat Perversion – My initial reaction is there are probably fewer true Hall of Famers from the 1990-2005 than the stats show. There are players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, as much as I hate both, who were clear Hall of Famers before they started juicing. But how do you tell who is really Hall of Fame worthy as opposed to a career 250 HR guy w/o the juice who got to 500 HRs by juicing.

4. Random Cheating Versus PED Use – There have always been the periodic cheaters with illegal pitches, corked bats, etc. However, these were few and far between while steroids were rampant in the game. As more comes out about the era I am becoming more and more convinced Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 60% of players were using is right.

5 . Kids Who Juiced b/c They Saw the Big Leaguers Do It – There is the case of Taylor Hooten, a Texas high school baseball player who juiced. When the emotional ups and downs of the drugs caught up with him he committed suicide. That’s an extreme case but lots of kids had career ending elbow, shoulder and knee injuries because they juiced and their bodies couldn’t handle the additional muscle mass (this was an issue for big leaguers too).

I could go on and on but I think the steriod/PED era is a massive stain on the game of baseball. Frankly it has done far more damage to the game than Pete Rose betting on baseball. He was one player who broke the rules and paid the consequences. The steriods era is one where we will constantly question the veracity and worthiness of the performance of the players from it.

well said. well said.

I find Pete Rose the saddest case in all of baseball. He’s clearly one of the best, but he went out and screwed everything up for himself. Its just sad.