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This isn't a column about sports. It's a column about telling the truth.
I've been watching with some interest the reaction to the confession of baseball legend Pete Rose. He was one of the toughest, roughest men to ever play the game. He wasn't the greatest athlete, but he used what he had and eventually broke records and won championships. He went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds, but wasn't as successful in that arena.
Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 when he was accused of betting on baseball, and worse, betting on his own team. While you can bet on other sports, football, lacrosse, lumberjacking, the one cardinal sin in baseball is gambling on the sport itself. It's like insider trading in the financial industry, you have too much knowledge and have an edge in making your picks.
This comes from the Black Sox scandal of 1918 where players on the Chicago White Sox agreed to take cash to throw the World Series for a gambler. There's a movie about it, Eight Men Out, with John Cusack. Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the players on that team was banned from baseball for life, and was forbidden from the hall of fame.
Pete Rose made a deal with Bart Giamatti, then commissioner of baseball. Rose would accept a ban and be denied the hall of fame, and Major League Baseball wouldn't release whet the findings were, nor proceed with taking Rose to court. Rose accepted the ban without fighting the findings, sort of a nolo contendre situation, not stating your guilty, but taking the sentence, much like paying a speeding ticket.
Taking the ban also meant Rose wasn't going to talk about the situation, either. In most cases, that's happen for the last 14 years. People speculated whether he did or didn't bet on baseball. It was widely known the Pete did like to gamble, and would often be found at a horse track. He even admitted that he had a gambling problem, publicly.
Rose had many people who thought he should be in Cooperstown. He had a tremendous career and was named one of the 100 best players of the century. There was a large movement to lift the ban, but Bart Giamatti died one month after the ban started, the commissioner's office was vacant for years, and then once Bud Selig, former owner, was named commissioner, he refused to lift the ban, but wouldn't or possibly couldn't say why. Fans of Rose wailed, stating that he is the best player not to be enshrined in the hall, which he is.
All of this hinges on the fact that the charges wouldn't come to light. Rose has worked for the last few years on a Florida sports talk station, and betting the ponies. He's been interviewed countless times continuing to infer that he was innocent he had to do so or he'd ruin the popular support that was growing. Even Nike produced an ad that asked, "Why isn't Pete Rose in the Hall?" Just getting baseball to allow his name to appear in the top 100 list was an outgrowth of the popular support he had. Pete Rose is a black spot on the sport. Still, despite it all, a greater number of fans would wish he would come clean, giving the real story.
Apparently the time to tell was now and not for noble reasons. Rose was offered 1 million dollars up front to write a tell all autobiography, with a stipulation that Rose does actually tell all. Rose admits to not only betting on baseball games, but also to betting for the team he was managing, when he felt they would win. A gambler with a heart, he wouldn't bet against his team. Is it the problem of a career gambler or just a manager that needed a little action on the game to help motivate him?
He's admitted he has a problem, but it continues and he doesn't seem concerned about getting help. Strangely he collaborated on an official autobiography several years ago that insisted that he never bet on baseball. Where's the lie and where's the sincerity? It is doubtful that one would just concoct a story about illegal gambling just to sell books, but Rose, seemingly down on his luck again needs to sell books, and will say anything without remorse.
This is a guy with a serious problem. He's obviously decided that he'll never get to Cooperstown, at least while he's alive, so he'll sell out to anyone. The deal he made to be outcast must have seemed temporary when he made it, but apparently after 14 years the lure of book money was stronger than waiting out the actions of old baseball owners that have many more problems than an aging gambler.
Rose's announcement overshadowed the election of two new members of the hall of fame, Paul Monitor and Dennis Eckersley, good players, but certainly not in the same class as Rose. Rose, or as he was called for many years "Charlie Hustle" must have decided to burn any bridges with baseball he could. If there's any left, he might send those up in flames on Thursday's Prime Time Live appearance.
It's sad when someone falls from grace. It's even worse when someone's unrepentant about it. Rose just continues a long line of disappointing figures in public life that will sell their soul for just about anything. plenty of stars have been making complete fools out of themselves lately, just for the sales it hopes to generate (looks at Madonna, Britany Spears, Aston Kutcher et al). Celebrities all seem to be living on a any publicity is good publicity vibe, and sadly, the public buys much of it, if just to watch the train wreck it produces.
Certainly Rose can't be forgiven for what he's done, especially as he continues to look like he doesn't understand what he did. Will he be repentant on for a TV audience? If so, will anyone believe someone who's lied for the last 14 years. It's doubtful that his support will grow beyond the few core fans he has. Many will just watch to have their suspicions confirmed, not to hope for an epiphany.
Rose doesn't belong in the hall, and it's not because gambling is the foulest sin of all, in baseball at least. Certainly there's drug users, wife beaters and worse in the hall. Babe Ruth wasn't a saint and he is regarded as the greatest of all time. Charlie Hustle's ruined a wonder of a career by destroying the public trust, lying, scheming and showing that the truth is all about what gain it can bring you. Sadly, even that is another gamble.
I've been watching with some interest the reaction to the confession of baseball legend Pete Rose. He was one of the toughest, roughest men to ever play the game. He wasn't the greatest athlete, but he used what he had and eventually broke records and won championships. He went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds, but wasn't as successful in that arena.
Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 when he was accused of betting on baseball, and worse, betting on his own team. While you can bet on other sports, football, lacrosse, lumberjacking, the one cardinal sin in baseball is gambling on the sport itself. It's like insider trading in the financial industry, you have too much knowledge and have an edge in making your picks.
This comes from the Black Sox scandal of 1918 where players on the Chicago White Sox agreed to take cash to throw the World Series for a gambler. There's a movie about it, Eight Men Out, with John Cusack. Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the players on that team was banned from baseball for life, and was forbidden from the hall of fame.
Pete Rose made a deal with Bart Giamatti, then commissioner of baseball. Rose would accept a ban and be denied the hall of fame, and Major League Baseball wouldn't release whet the findings were, nor proceed with taking Rose to court. Rose accepted the ban without fighting the findings, sort of a nolo contendre situation, not stating your guilty, but taking the sentence, much like paying a speeding ticket.
Taking the ban also meant Rose wasn't going to talk about the situation, either. In most cases, that's happen for the last 14 years. People speculated whether he did or didn't bet on baseball. It was widely known the Pete did like to gamble, and would often be found at a horse track. He even admitted that he had a gambling problem, publicly.
Rose had many people who thought he should be in Cooperstown. He had a tremendous career and was named one of the 100 best players of the century. There was a large movement to lift the ban, but Bart Giamatti died one month after the ban started, the commissioner's office was vacant for years, and then once Bud Selig, former owner, was named commissioner, he refused to lift the ban, but wouldn't or possibly couldn't say why. Fans of Rose wailed, stating that he is the best player not to be enshrined in the hall, which he is.
All of this hinges on the fact that the charges wouldn't come to light. Rose has worked for the last few years on a Florida sports talk station, and betting the ponies. He's been interviewed countless times continuing to infer that he was innocent he had to do so or he'd ruin the popular support that was growing. Even Nike produced an ad that asked, "Why isn't Pete Rose in the Hall?" Just getting baseball to allow his name to appear in the top 100 list was an outgrowth of the popular support he had. Pete Rose is a black spot on the sport. Still, despite it all, a greater number of fans would wish he would come clean, giving the real story.
Apparently the time to tell was now and not for noble reasons. Rose was offered 1 million dollars up front to write a tell all autobiography, with a stipulation that Rose does actually tell all. Rose admits to not only betting on baseball games, but also to betting for the team he was managing, when he felt they would win. A gambler with a heart, he wouldn't bet against his team. Is it the problem of a career gambler or just a manager that needed a little action on the game to help motivate him?
He's admitted he has a problem, but it continues and he doesn't seem concerned about getting help. Strangely he collaborated on an official autobiography several years ago that insisted that he never bet on baseball. Where's the lie and where's the sincerity? It is doubtful that one would just concoct a story about illegal gambling just to sell books, but Rose, seemingly down on his luck again needs to sell books, and will say anything without remorse.
This is a guy with a serious problem. He's obviously decided that he'll never get to Cooperstown, at least while he's alive, so he'll sell out to anyone. The deal he made to be outcast must have seemed temporary when he made it, but apparently after 14 years the lure of book money was stronger than waiting out the actions of old baseball owners that have many more problems than an aging gambler.
Rose's announcement overshadowed the election of two new members of the hall of fame, Paul Monitor and Dennis Eckersley, good players, but certainly not in the same class as Rose. Rose, or as he was called for many years "Charlie Hustle" must have decided to burn any bridges with baseball he could. If there's any left, he might send those up in flames on Thursday's Prime Time Live appearance.
It's sad when someone falls from grace. It's even worse when someone's unrepentant about it. Rose just continues a long line of disappointing figures in public life that will sell their soul for just about anything. plenty of stars have been making complete fools out of themselves lately, just for the sales it hopes to generate (looks at Madonna, Britany Spears, Aston Kutcher et al). Celebrities all seem to be living on a any publicity is good publicity vibe, and sadly, the public buys much of it, if just to watch the train wreck it produces.
Certainly Rose can't be forgiven for what he's done, especially as he continues to look like he doesn't understand what he did. Will he be repentant on for a TV audience? If so, will anyone believe someone who's lied for the last 14 years. It's doubtful that his support will grow beyond the few core fans he has. Many will just watch to have their suspicions confirmed, not to hope for an epiphany.
Rose doesn't belong in the hall, and it's not because gambling is the foulest sin of all, in baseball at least. Certainly there's drug users, wife beaters and worse in the hall. Babe Ruth wasn't a saint and he is regarded as the greatest of all time. Charlie Hustle's ruined a wonder of a career by destroying the public trust, lying, scheming and showing that the truth is all about what gain it can bring you. Sadly, even that is another gamble.
