The Major League Baseball commissioner is being urged by two state legislators to remove Pete Rose’s ineligibility for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“There is no one greater in the game in terms of talent. State Representative Bill Seitz, a Republican from Green Township in the Cincinnati suburbs, stated as much. He referred to it as “hypocritical” that while major league teams have made significant investments in sports betting, gambling is still prohibited against Rose.
The resolution endorsing Rose for induction into the Hall of Fame is co-sponsored by Republican state representative Tom Young from Washington Township, close to Dayton, and Seitz. Resolutions are not enforceable by law.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred stated last year that allowing sports wagering by fans had little impact on
players betting. “I 100 percent believe if you bet on baseball, you should be banned from baseball for life,” he said.
Rose is now 83 years old.
“The wide belief down in Cincinnati is that they’ll probably put him in (the Hall of Fame) when he’s dead,” Seitz said.
In an interview in 2020, Rose said: “I screwed up. I should have never (bet on baseball). That’s the only mistake I’ve ever made in my life to be honest with you. And that’s the biggest mistake. I would love to go to the Hall of Fame. Any player would. But as long as this heart is beating, I’m not going to go to the Hall of Fame.”
Charlie Hustle, as Rose was known, was a Reds player from 1963 to 1986. From 1984 to 1989, he managed the Reds both during and after his playing career. Rose won three World Series and went on to become the all-time leader in hits, games played, and at-bats.
Allegations that he wagered on baseball while a player and manager led to his 1989 baseball ban. The Hall of Fame made the decision to prevent anyone on the prohibited list from being inducted two years later.
