To Bet or Not to Bet?

To Bet or Not to Bet?

To hit a baseball in the major leagues could arguably be the hardest thing to do in the world of sports. If a ball player has an exceptional career, he is rewarded by being inducted into the Hall of Fame. That is not the case for Pete Rose. Rose is arguably the greatest hitter ever to play the game and he is banned from baseball and the Hall of Fame for life. It has been fifteen years since his lifetime ban was handed out, and it still remains one of the greatest debates in sports today. Betting on professional sports is illegal for all-professional athletes and coaches. There is no doubt that what Pete Rose did was wrong. However, what he did off the field does not diminish what he accomplished on the field and he should be judged accordingly. Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.

During his twenty-four year career Pete Rose was the ideal baseball player. He hustled, played every game like it was his last, and always wanted to win. No one ran the bases with more enthusiasm, or gave more effort on the field than Pete Rose. He played so hard he was given the nickname Charlie Hustle by his teammates. The best example of Rose’s love for the game would be “in 1970; baseball’s All-Star game came to Cincinnati’s recently completed Riverfront Stadium. Even President Nixon was in the crowd to watch the two leagues do battle. Like all great sports warriors, Pete Rose wanted to do well in front of the hometown crowd. The game was tied 4-4 in the bottom of the twelfth inning. With two men out, Rose singled to center. He moved to second on a hit by Billy Grabarkewitz. Then Jim Hickman came to the plate. Hickman singled to center and Rose refused to stop on third base. With third base coach Leo Durocher waving him in, Rose furiously rounded third. As catcher Ray Fosse blocked the plate, the baseball and Pete Rose arrived at the same time. Like a football player headed for the end zone, Rose dropped his left shoulder, and bowled over the Cleveland catcher. In one of the truly finest moments in sport, Rose’s collision scored the winning run for the National League! His desire to win was so great that he would risk his career to win an exhibition game” (Yoho 1).

The greatness Rose achieved couldn’t exonerate him from the rules. Pete Rose was suspended for violating Rule 21(d) in the baseball rulebook. Rule 21(d) states that: Any player, umpire, league official, or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever, upon a baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be ineligible for one year. Any player, umpire, employee, club or league official, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon a baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible (Gutman, 205).

Rose and some players may feel that he belongs in the Hall of Fame but Major League Baseball sees it differently. They feel that Rose’s acts tarnished the game and that with all the evidence against him they did not have any other choice but to ban him. The lying that Rose has done has ruined his reputation for the rest of his life. This is a problem when you look at the criteria for the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame states that “Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played” (Rules for Election to the Hall of Fame). As many can see Rose must defend his integrity and character after years and years of lying. John Dowd made sure that all evidence was presented properly to show how devious Rose truly was.

The investigation to convict Rose for betting on baseball was headed by John Dowd. Investigating Rose’s activities, Dowd was able to compile enough evidence to prove to baseball authorities that Rose had indeed bet on baseball. Dowd was able to obtain betting slips in Rose’s handwriting and with his fingerprints on them, and also found Rose’s bookies who all confessed. Rose’s main bookies, Paul Jenzen, Tommy Gioiosa, Ron Peters, and Michael Bertolini all admitted they had placed bets for Rose, not only in baseball but also in a variety of other sports. Rose has admitted to placing bets with Bertolini but he says those bets were on football and only football. Rose claims that it is totally different than betting on baseball. As for the reports of placing bets with his other friends, Rose has denied all accusations.

Almost as incriminating as the betting slips with his handwriting and fingerprints Dowd also secured several phone records. “According to Dowd, phone logs from the Reds clubhouse show numerous calls back and forth between Rose and Janzen and other gambling contacts during that period, many of them placed close to game times”(Steptoe, 4). Rose has lawyers who say the fingerprints on the betting slips are so damaged that they cant prove anything. They also argue the same for the handwriting. Pete Rose and his lawyers have an excuse for almost every piece of evidence presented against him. Rose had always denied having a betting problem but finally after being jailed for tax evasion he admitted he was sick and got help.

After receiving the Dowd report, baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti called Pete into his office. It was August 23, 1989 and probably the worst day in Pete Rose’s life. He and his attorneys felt that he would be banned for sure so Pete was offered a few options. He could take a seven-year suspension and sign an agreement saying he bet on baseball games. Rose decided to reject that offer with the fear that he would then for sure never get into the Hall of Fame. They then reduced it to six years but he still turned it down. This brought him to the last option, taking a lifetime ban but not admitting he bet on baseball. “Nothing in this agreement shall be deemed an admission or a denial by Peter Edward Rose of his allegation that he bet on any major-league baseball game”(Gutman, 203). Also included in this agreement between Pete Rose and baseball was the fact that after one year Rose could apply for reinstatement. “Rose agreed not to challenge the decision of the commissioner in the evaluation of his reinstatement, to drop all litigation against Giamatti, and to admit the commissioner acted fairly”(Gutman, 203). Rose turned down the six and seven year suspension because he would have no hope of being in the Hall of Fame and by taking the lifetime ban and hoping for reinstatement he kept his dream of being elected into the Hall of Fame alive.

Besides Pete Rose, fourteen other players have been suspended from baseball for gambling. However, many