By
Steve Kallas (posted by Rick Morris)
Last
week, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that, with respect
to a decision on Pete Rose’s application for reinstatement, “The end of the
year is my deadline.” He went on to say,
“I’m not telling you that this is coming December 30 or whatever. It will be done by the end of the year, let
me be clear about that.”
A
VERY EASY DECISION, IF MANFRED LISTENS TO BART GIAMATTI
Virtually
everybody knows that Bart Giamatti was the Commissioner of Baseball when Pete
Rose agreed to a lifetime ban IN 1989.
Very few people know that at the time of that ban, Pete Rose was
eligible to receive votes for the Hall of Fame.
In fact, few people know that Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was banned for
life for fixing the 1919 World Series (and there is no evidence that Jackson,
who batted .375 in that Series and hit the only home run by either team, did
anything wrong on the field), actually received some Hall of Fame votes over
the years (i.e., he was still eligible).
Everybody
also knows that Bart Giamatti died of a heart attack just days after announcing
the Rose lifetime ban.
Today,
more and more people are understanding that, ACCORDING TO BART GIAMATTI
HIMSELF, Rose should have been considered for the Hall of Fame way back in
1989, once he became eligible (in 1991).
Giamatti
was asked at the press conference announcing the Rose lifetime ban, whether
that ban would have any effect on Rose’s ability to get into the Hall of
Fame. When asked the question, as
discussed in Kostya Kennedy’s recent book, Pete Rose: An American Dilemma,
Giamatti clearly believed that one had nothing to do with the other. Addressing the baseball writers at the press
conference (baseball writers vote for the Hall of Fame members), Bart Giamatti
said, “YOU [meaning the writers] WILL DECIDE WHETHER HE [Rose] BELONGS IN THE
HALL OF FAME.”
That
should have been the end then, and the end now, of the inability of Pete Rose
to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
INSTEAD,
A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Instead,
Fay Vincent, Giamatti’s friend and number two man in baseball, became the
commissioner and, at a minimum, had some input into the absurd meeting in 1991
(just before Rose was eligible for the Hall) when baseball decided to not allow
anyone on the permanently banned list to be eligible for the Hall of Fame
(again, before the institution of this “Pete Rose” rule, anyone on the banned
less (like Shoeless Joe Jackson) WAS eligible to the Hall of Fame.
For
an understanding of the disgrace that led to this permanent Hall of Fame
eligibility ban, see Kennedy’s book at pages 228-31. It’s a permanent black mark on the Hall of
Fame (unless fixed by Rob Manfred).
Vincent
was vehement about keeping Rose out, always saying that Giamatti had said that
Rose had to “reconfigure his life” before he could be reinstated. But that had NOTHING to do with Rose’s
possible induction into the Hall of Fame; rather, it had to do with Rose’s
ability to come back and be employed by a team in some capacity. Clearly, Giamatti never meant the lifetime
ban or that statement to hurt Rose’s chance to get into the Hall of Fame (see
his quote above).
FROM
VINCENT TO SELIG TO MANFRED
So,
since 1991, Rose was denied, first by Faye Vincent and then by Bud Selig (who
stated for years and years that Rose had applied but he just had not gotten
around to it and, in fact, never did – despite being commissioner for 22
years. You can’t make this stuff up).
Now,
with Rob Manfred the new commissioner, the time is ripe (and right) to right a
terrible wrong and reinstate what BART GIAMATTI SAID IN 1989; that is, let the
writers decide.
This
isn’t about what Fay Vincent thought or thinks, or what Bud Selig thought or
thinks, or even, to a lesser degree (he is the one with the power now), what
Rob Manfred thinks about the issue. It
should be all about what Bart Giamatti thought AND SAID, plain as day; that is,
it’s up to the writers to decide whether Pete Rose should be in the Hall of
Fame.
WHAT
ABOUT SPORTS GAMBLING TODAY?
While
it’s interesting to see that Major League Baseball has an investment interest
in DraftKings and Commissioner Manfred has come out to say that daily fantasy
sports is not gambling, none of this should have any bearing on his Pete Rose
decision. He may be gun-shy now to allow
Rose to be considered for the Hall of Fame because he’s taking a lot of heat on
his DraftKings position.
But
anyone with even half a brain knows that legal sports gambling is coming and
that includes daily fantasy (which might be legal today – case pending in New
York). Government regulation will come,
all the pro sports will invest and/or have their hands out for their share,
states and local municipalities will see it as a panacea for incredible debt and
financial issues that they all have on their books now (and into the future).
But
with respect to Pete Rose, Rob Manfred should stay above the fray and simply
announce that, after reviewing what Bart Giamatti said about Pete Rose and the
Hall of Fame back in 1989, he is simply following the guidance of the
then-Commissioner of Baseball, and allow Rose to be considered for the Hall of
Fame. If he doesn’t want Rose to work in
baseball, he can still separate the two.
CONCLUSION
Maybe
someone with a brain and some power can show this article to the Commissioner
of Baseball. It’s really very
simple. THIS SHOULD BE THE YEAR THAT THE
THOUGHTS OF BART GIAMATTI SHOULD BE RESPECTED.
©
2015 BY STEVE KALLAS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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