KRT CampusJuly 30 will be a great day for the Cardinal nation. Bruce Sutter, arguably one of the greatest relief pitchers of all time, will enter the Hall of Fame wearing the St. Louis insignia. After 13 years of waiting, the pitcher, who closed out the 1982 World Championship, will go to Cooperstown as this year’s only inductee. But why is this player, known for his split-fingered fastball but who never started a single major league game, worthy of the Hall of Fame when there are spaces available for those more deserving?
As a Cardinals fan, I cringe when I say that Bruce Sutter and even the great Ozzie Smith do not deserve their places in Cooperstown when a player like Pete Rose does not have a seat.
Pete Rose is one of the best offensive players in the history of baseball. His name has been mentioned alongside Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In a stunning career that spanned over two decades, he maintained a lifetime .303 average and collected over 1,000 RBIs and stolen bases. He was the 1975 World Series MVP as well as an 18-time All-Star who still holds the record for career hits, with 4,256. And then there was the little gambling thing.
The hallowed halls of Cooperstown are reserved for the best in the game of baseball, and Pete Rose is one of those players. All of the modern record-holders are immortalized in bronze statues, so why should gambling stand in the way of one of the most prolific hitters of all time? While Rose’s numbers speak volumes about the caliber of player he was, his bets on baseball should not prevent his entry into Cooperstown.
Rose earned every statistic and record that he holds without steroids or corked bats. The commissioner of baseball was understandably concerned with the similarities to the “Black Sox” of 1919, who were accused of throwing the World Series. But time has shown that Rose’s betting on baseball did not ruin the game.
He rightfully earned his spot in the Hall of Fame, but the voters continue to impose a sentence that has long since expired. Roger Maris died with an asterisk next to his record because of a longer 1961 season. It is unacceptable for another great to die without getting the recognition he deserves.
He did not take steroids, beat his wife or attack a cameraman. He was an intense player who became a student of the game and once said, “I’d walk through hell in a gasoline suit just to play baseball.” Rose may have had his faults, but banning the best hitter in baseball from the game he excelled at is unacceptable.
If election into the Hall of Fame were based on off-the-field character, some of baseball’s immortals could not have even gotten their names on the ballot (i.e., Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth were alcoholics who cheated on their wives). The Baseball Hall of Fame is meant to recognize the best in baseball. Let the Mr. Nice Guy awards be given out by Oprah – a good baseball player does not always possess great character. Shouldn’t the quality of his play determine his election and not an off-the-field mishap?
July 30 will be a great day for the Cardinal nation, but, once again, a sad day for the game of baseball. Rose has admitted to his wrongs. We do not have to forgive and forget, just elect. Pete Rose deserves a spot, and every ballot that goes by without his selection is another ballot wasted.