There are a few columns that tend to get recycled over the course of several years and always seem to make an appearance when things get a little slow. Class basketball conflict has drifted away, as the last people who participated in non-class basketball are nearly 45 and unless you spend time arguing with clouds on your porch, most people think it worked out pretty well.
The NIL transfer portal debate may still have a little life in it for a few more years. However, the NCAA has shown very little interest in addressing this so why would anyone else.
However, the one that has wasted the most column inches, pundit debate and coffeehouse chatter is the Pete Rose situation and will finally be laid to rest.
The commissioner of baseball declared last week that Rose is no longer on the banned list and eligible for the Hall of Fame.
However, Rose is only eligible for the Hall of Fame, through a veterans-led committee vote or unless the Hall changes its rules to find a way to make this happen. Many of the vets who vote still have a pretty salty view of Rose from their playing days and there are still too many “purist” who may not vote to confirm his place in the Hall. Even Reds teammate Johnny Bench did not believe he deserved entry (due to the rules in place at the time).
There was a great documentary on Rose last year on HBO and it showed the duality, the Yin/Yang and the Greek tragedy of Rose’s life. When the documentary was over, I felt profoundly sorry, angry and proud of Rose all at the same time.
Rose never accepted what he did was wrong, he was never contrite and never sincerely apologized. If he had, this would have been over decades ago. He did deserve to be punished, not permanently pummeled, so we can feel morally superior.
Without playing armchair psychologist, I believe Rose in all his arrogance felt that he would someday outlast the controversy and win, which is all he ever cared about – winning.
Pete Rose was one of the five greatest players who ever lived. He may have been the most competitive player and he is baseball’s all-time hit king. Those facts are not in dispute. Ironically, he surpassed the man (Ty Cobb) who was made up of the EXACT same qualities and shortcomings and whose personal life may have been even more deplorable than Rose – and yet he remains a Hall of Famer.
Rose deserves to be a Hall of Famer and it should have happened before he passed. It also should have included a mea culpa moment from him. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t have been Rose’s style and might have been only for the benefit of the rest of us to tie this story up in neat Hollywood ending.
Pete Rose was a tough, angry, talented, simple man who was the best at what he did. He is a Hall of Famer, warts and all, and not because he was a great guy. At the end of the game, you look at the scoreboard and you either won or lost. But not in Rose’s case, he outscored his opponent but was never credited with the win.
This is not something that needs to be overthought or debated now, only corrected and put to bed forever.