Supporters Of Giamatti's Suspension Of Pete Rose example essay topic

Pete Rose: To Be or Not to Be Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame along with the other great players from Major League Baseball because of his on field credentials and because there is no concrete evidence that he bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds. A. Bartlet Giamatti suspended Rose based on circumstantial evidence, which is not fair to Pete Rose or his fans. Current baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, is the only person with the power to reverse the decision laid down by Giamatti but chooses not to do so. Pete Rose may be one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history. The records, alone, that Pete Rose holds are enough to justify his entrance into the Hall of Fame. The most astonishing record owned by Rose is his record for hits in his career. Pete Rose compiled 4,256 total hits in his career, making him one of only two people to get more than four thousand hits along with Ty Cobb.

In Roses twenty-four seasons he set the Major League Baseball record for games played with 3,562. This meant that rose averaged more than one hit per game throughout his career. Pete Rose also holds the record of 23 consecutive seasons with a hundred hits or more and ten times had two hundred hits, another Major League Baseball record. From June fourteenth until July thirty-first in 1978 Rose hit safely in 44 straight games, a national league record, and second only to Joe DiMaggio's 56. Another record that rose holds in terms of hitting streaks is that he had consecutive game hit streaks of 20 games or more seven times.

Some other records that Rose holds are the record for most at bats in a career, 14,053, most wins in a career with 1,972. And he is the only player in league history to play more than 500 games at each of five positions (Cosmic Baseball Association). Pete Rose was banished from being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 when baseball commissioner A. Bartlet Giamatti concluded that Rose had bet on baseball games, including his own team, the Cincinnati Reds. Hall of Fame rule five designates that inductees should be honest, have integrity, and good character more than his playing ability.

Giamatti thought that Rose did not qualify because he did not meet these guidelines. Baseball should be honest with itself and delete the character and integrity requirements of rule five. If rule five is so important than why are players like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Gaylord Perry allowed in the hall of fame, while Pete Rose, who was never proven to have bet on baseball, is kept out of the Hall of Fame? "He played the game the way it was meant to be played. Hard-nosed and hustling all over the field" (quoted in Lahman). Says Oakland Athletics' Dave Parker, describing Pete Roses style of play throughout his twenty-four year career.

His stunning statistics can be attributed to his incredible work ethic on the field and in games and off the field during spring training and personal workouts. When most hitters settled for singles, Rose would stretch his hits into doubles or even triples. Most of the players in the Major Leagues respected the way he played. He was known to wake up early in the morning to take jogs in the brisk Cincinnati winter during off-seasons so he would not be out of physical shape when spring training arrived in March. He was well aware that he was working harder than his opponents. His love for the sport of baseball gave him the strength to carry out his grueling workouts.

Supporters of Giamatti's suspension of Pete Rose believe that his suspension from Major League Baseball is warranted by his gambling on sports. Rose admitted placing bets on football and basketball games, but denied placing any bets on baseball games (Dowd). John M. Dowd and Giamatti conducted investigations into Roses gambling. Baseball started an investigation in February 1989 into allegations that Rose had been betting on sports, including baseball. These allegations came from one of Rose's friends, Paul Janszen, and bookie Ron Peters. (Both had been convicted of felony drug charges.) Both offered documentary evidence of Rose's betting to support their claims (Lahman).

Among the evidence that was found was betting slips that Dowd had received from Janszen (Betting Slips). A Federal Bureau of Investigation expert concluded that the betting slips were in Roses handwriting, but Rose hired handwriting experts to examine the slips and they stated that the evidence is either wrong or inconclusive (Lahman). Pete Rose was put on the banishment list and the only way that he can be inducted into the Hall of Fame is to get off the list. To do so, Rose had to put in an appeal to be reinstated back into baseball.

Bud Selig, however, would not meet with Roses lawe rys immediately. Finally he agreed to meet with Roger Makley, one of Roses lawyers, to discuss the possibility of reinstatement. Selig said however that he is unlikely to allow Rose back into the league and will not hear new evidence brought into the case including evidence that Rose did not bet on baseball games. This is unfair to Rose. He has the right to plead his case; to determine his innocence and have his status among baseball's elite recognized. Selig is denying him of these rights.

Makley said that he would meet with Bob Dupay, Baseball's executive Vice President for administration, and chief legal council in an effort to have Rose reinstated (Blum). It is unlikely that Rose will receive a fair chance to plead his case because Dupay stated that he agrees completely with Bud Selig (Blum). Many people are under the impression that Pete Rose is the only baseball player to have been caught or accused of gambling on baseball games. Some all-time greats have been strongly suspected of betting on baseball. In 1919 several members teamed with known gangsters in an effort to "throw" the World Series. Eight players, Eddie Cocotte, Joe Jackson, Swede Rinsberg, Fred McMulin, Bruce Weaver, Happy Flesch, Claude Williams, and Chick Gand il, were accused and convicted of deliberately losing the World Series so that the gangsters would win bets and the players would receive a cut of the money.

(Schwalbe). Joe Jackson, one of the suspended players, was most likely not a part of the deed. He played terrifically throughout the series, hitting the series' only homerun and finishing with a. 357 batting average over eight games of the series (Schwalbe). (In 1919 the World Series was a best of nine series, now it is best of seven.) How can a player achieve such great numbers and be trying to lose at the same time? He was, nonetheless, banned from the Hall of Fame, as is Pete Rose.

Leo, "The Lip", Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was removed from baseball after being suspected of, and later admitting to gambling on games played by the Dodgers. His suspension was put into effect in the 1949 season and revoked in the 1951 season (Baseball Historian). This man admitted on betting on baseball. Rose never has admitted or was proven to have bet on the Reds' games, and yet, he is still banned from baseball. Other famous players have been known gamblers and they did not have any action taken against them. Ty Cobb was known to bet on games that he played in.

The only other man with 4,000 or more hits in his career other than Rose, was a known gambler. He is, however, in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and known for his playing ability, not his habit. Rose deserves to be known for his on-the-field brilliance just as Cobb is (Americas Library). Tris Speaker is another Hall of Famer who was known to gamble on games that he played in (Angle Fire). Hal Chase was a master of deception on the field. He was known to pull his glove away from the ball when it was thrown his way to make it appear as if his teammate had made an errant throw (Baseball Historian).

This man is also a member of the Hall of Fame. Rose did not commit acts of cheating like these men did and there is not enough evidence to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. The majority of baseball fans feel that Pete Rose should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was and still is a tremendously popular player.

His selection to baseball's All-Century team this past October backs up the notion that he belongs in the Hall of Fame. In an on-the-field ceremony held at Yankee's Stadium, Rose received the longest ovation from the crowd of any of the players, deceased or living (Kettmann). His selection shows his greatness and popularity among baseball fans. Shortly after the ceremony ESPN and USAToday conducted a poll for its viewing audience on its official website, ESPN. com, to see how fans felt about the status of Rose being kept out of the Hall of Fame.

In an overwhelming majority, fifty-six percent said that Rose should be reinstated, while twenty-nine percent said that he should not (ESPN). Bud Selig has stated that he agrees with the suspension and will not reinstate Rose. If Selig does not feel Rose should be reinstated, then the matter can not advance any father or to any other baseball officials. If Rose were ruled to be allowed back into baseball, then he would be eligible for the Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) would be able to put Rose's name on the ballot and in order to be eligible for the Hall of Fame the following criteria must be met: He must apply to the office of the Commissioner for reinstatement to Major League Baseball.

He then must be reinstated by the office of the commissioner. Next he would be eligible as a Hall of Fame for the ballot of the BBWAA screening committee. If Rose is placed on the ballot, he will have to receive votes on at least seventy-five percent of the ballots cast in any one election to be inducted (Hall of Fame). Pete Rose has his supporters. Former President Jimmy Carter says, "It's time to forgive Pete Rose" (Cosmic Baseball Association). This quote was published from Jimmy Carter's article "It's Time to Forgive Pete Rose".

He believed that the testimony from convicted felons does not come from a credible source and therefore does not deserve to keep Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame. "I absolutely believe that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. If you exclude Pete Rose you have to exclude many other people beginning with Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, and others whose behavior would not stand the test of our current moral standards" (Ken Burns quoted in Cosmic Baseball Association). Ken Burns is a strong supporter of Pete Rose's crusade to be in the Hall of Fame and he agrees with Jimmy Carter's opinion. If Babe Ruth, who was known to be an alcoholic and a womanizer, is allowed in the Hall of Fame; if Ty Cobb, who was known to gamble on baseball games, is allowed in the Hall of Fame, then why is Pete Rose denied entrance into the Hall of Fame after being only suspected of gambling on baseball? Ken Burns and Jimmy Carter are merely two of Pete Rose's high ranking supporters who have offered help in any way to see that Pete Rose will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"The ultimate goal to have as a ball player is to be in the Hall of Fame. Now I do not have a chance" (Lahman). Pete Rose gave that statement in 1997 to USAToday. Anyone who has played the game or followed it as a fan knows that all players have the dream of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rose played professional baseball, the game he loved and devoted twenty-four years of his life to, at a level that places him among the best ever to play. Throughout this career, Rose was a generous supporter of the National Baseball of Hall of Fame, donation more that twenty artifacts to the museums collections.

Many of them are on display (Hall of Fame). If the Hall of Fame can except gifts from his playing days then he certainly deserves to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame with them. It is not fair to Rose, Major League Baseball, and baseball fans everywhere to keep Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame. The words of Pete Rose's lawyer, Gary Spicer, sum up the entire situation of Rose's ban: "It would be good for the fan, good for Pete, good for baseball if they would reinstate him" (Lahman). This is exactly how most fans and baseball lovers across the country feel. It is time for action to be taken to get Pete Rose into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

I believe that Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame based on his on-the-field accomplishments. Another player will not approach his record of 4,256 career hits in the near future, or maybe ever. I feel that if Pete Rose is ever reinstated into Major League Baseball it will be after his death just so he will never have the satisfaction of knowing that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. There is no credible evidence that he gambled on baseball. There are only accusations and circumstantial evidence linking Rose to betting on baseball. I think that this quote by Roger Kahn sums up my opinions of Rose's situation: "I don't know if Pete Rose bet on baseball, but I know that he was rail-roared out of the game" (Cosmic Baseball Association).