Reinstate This!

Pete Rose Deserves
Reinstatement

As soon as he finishes serving his lifetime ban. That may seem a bit harsh, but I'm biased when it comes to the subject of Pete Rose. I just don't like him--never have. It all started at the tender age of six. It was the 1976 World Series, the first series that I can vividly remember. I knew nothing about him but once I saw his face on TV, I immediately disliked him--immensely. He simply creeped me out. I wish I had that kind of 'jagoff radar' today. Everybody knows that Pete Rose bet on baseball, and on the Cincinnati Reds while he managed them back in the '80s. We knew this 17-years ago. He's already admitted as much, in a futile attempt to gain entry into Cooperstown. But for some reason Pete decided it would be a good idea to come a little bit more clean about his 'gambling jones'. Rose went on ESPN radio Wednesday and admitted that when he managed the Reds, he bet on them every night-- always to win:

"I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week, (as he originally claimed) I was wrong, I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team. I did everything in my power every night to win that game."

Pete also said that he is the best ambassador that Major League Baseball has. Sure thing Pete. Not to be a jerk or anything, but the 1994 strike was a better ambassador for baseball than Pete Rose could ever be.

You know what? I kind of almost believe him about only betting on his team to win. Only because I saw the man play. He played like his hair was on fire, and he hated to lose. He was one of the nastiest sum-bitches to ever lace up the spikes, and that's a compliment. He has more base hits than anyone who's ever lived, and three championship rings--unless he pawned them for seed money by now. Wow, it kind of makes you wonder how much bread he had riding on the games he was playing in. Do bookies even take action on All-Star games anyway? Some people say that Pete deserves a second chance because he 'fessed up. I disagree for the simple fact that gambling in baseball is equivalent to murder in society. If you get convicted or even come clean and confess, you're going away for life. Everybody in baseball knows this, and they've known it since 1919. Pete knows it too. Betting on your own team as a player, (win or lose) is deplorable. Doing it as the manager of a ball club is absolutely unforgivable. He wasn't only gambling with his own money, he was also gambling with the one precious commodity a professional athlete has--his health. This isn't about getting Pete Rose getting reinstated, that ship has sailed. It's about Pete getting the other half of the fans who revere him to stand in line for an hour, to pay for the privilege of having him scribble his name on a baseball card. That way he can keep chasing his personal dragon.

I'm just so annoyed at the fact that Pete Rose pops up every Spring with some new revelation. I'm also annoyed by the fact that it was ESPN's lead story, and that anybody would even debate whether or not he should be in the Hall of Fame anymore. Most of all, I'm annoyed that I felt compelled to sit down and post this. I had better things to do with my evening.

Thanks Pete.