Professional baseball continues to wrong Pete Rose. To right the wrong, Rose must be reinstated and voted into Cooperstown’s Hall of Fame. Rose has been banned for a managed mental condition, an addiction to gambling. He is held to a standard many enshrined in Cooperstown could not meet. Professional baseball has simply been unfair to Rose.
Pete bet on his team to win. He never bet against his team and, unlike many who have not been banned, didn’t cheat the game, fans, players, or owners. His amazing statistics reflect that he played to win. If anyone was hurt by Rose’s gambling, it was Rose and a few idealistic purists.
In the interest of fairness, Pete Rose should be voted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. End the “Hall of Shame.”
