Pete Rose is dead. He died on September 30. We should pray for the repose of his soul. Who is Pete Rose? If you’re asking that question, I’ll answer it two ways.
One, he had 4,256 hits as a Major League Baseball (MLB) player. That’s a record that may never be broken.
He also was suspended from MLB for life for allegedly betting on baseball games while he was a player and manager.
Those are the two things he is best known for. It makes him one of the most polarizing figures in sports history, especially on the topic of his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Two years after his 1989 suspension, the hall of fame made the decision to ban anyone “permanently ineligible” from MLB from being inducted.
Since that time, mostly because of his on-the-field accomplishments, many fans have had the attitude of “let him in” and that he is still deserving of the honor.
Other fans and critics, citing his violation of one of the most important rules of the game — don’t gamble — isn’t worthy of said honor.
It’s a debate between what was done on and off the field.
Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” many people were fans of how he played the game. He would run to first base upon being walked at the plate. He would place a priority on getting base hits and getting on base versus always swinging for the fences. And, he would generally play hard to win.
Many fathers wanted their sons to play just like him.
That same competitive spirit and taking the game seriously may have been his downfall — making his life all about the game and always needing to compete and win, and not just on the field.
I’m not going to say either way if he should be in the hall of fame or not — my own opinion on that has gone back and forth over the years — but we are going to look at making the most of one’s talents and time and what it means to be your best self.
What is important
If you’re a baseball player, at any age and skill level, it is important to do a lot of the things Mr. Rose did.
Hitting “over 300” is good. Getting on base even more successfully than that is also good. Getting more than 1,300 RBIs (currently tied for 104th all-time) is also good. He was a good baseball player.
If looking at just numbers was all you needed to measure someone, yes, by all means, be Pete Rose.
If anyone makes 17 all-star games, plays almost every position on the field in your career, and is a part of three World Series teams, you’re probably someone desired on a team.
The challenge is, can you separate those statistics and that playing style from everything else that might go with them or even cause them?
Is it worth being overly-competitive if you can’t leave it on the field?
Is it worth being overly-competitive if you do too much on the field? (Google Pete Rose and Ray Fosse from the 1970 All-Star game).
What makes you a hall-of-famer? Who you are as a person or what you do as your profession? Can’t it be both?
How much are you willing to give up as a person to be accomplished?
How many accomplishments are you willing to give up to be a good person?
Thoughts on gambling
Back in the early 1980s, two iconic baseball players were also banned from the game, namely, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle.
What did they do? They worked at casinos as greeters and autograph signers.
It was nearly a decade after both of their playing careers were over, yet, gambling, bad, stay away from it.
They were both eventually reinstated and could both be prominent fixtures at MLB ballparks and events.
Fast forward to now and MLB has partnership deals with entities that are avenues for sports betting.
This is part of the reason many fans today scoff at Pete Rose’s hall of fame status.
Apparently, gambling isn’t 100 percent bad because MLB is openly promoting fan participation when they once banned legends for merely working for a casino?
MLB wants to keep the game pure all while encouraging its fans to bet bet bet, responsibly of course.
I guess that’s no different than advertising beer during a game. The players can’t drink during nine innings of play, oh, but after the game . . .
We’re getting to the point where no one can enjoy a game without something extra riding on it.
No wonder just playing and managing isn’t enough for some people.
But, whose fault is that?
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.