"Why Isn't Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?" That's the question posed by a new Pony sportswear ad campaign featuring him (he was interviewed by Matt Lauer on Today this a.m.). Rose is also going to attend his first MLB game (at Yankee Stadium) in conjunction with the campaign. The \"Why Not\" site is here.

Sorry Pete -- but I don't think hitching onto a commercial campaign to make bucks and promote yourself is going to help your cause (but call me cynical ...)

[ July 18, 2002: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

For a long time, I thought Pete did belong. But he has had numerous opportunities to admit what he did and he constantly refuses to. His misdeeds are forgivable, if only he would admit it rather than play Poor Persecuted Pete.

This is not the way to go about being reinstated.

He's Mr. Bad Judgment. Then and now.

My solution to the Rose issue:

Elect Rose (or have MLB place him unilaterally) into the HOF, effective upon death, with induction to be held the August after his death.

However, offer him this: If Rose fully admits the original MLB findings, allow his induction, say, five years after his statement of admission.

I think this would prove which is more important - his legacy or his ego - also, it would open a path to resolving the eligibility of Shoeless Joe Jackson et al....

I've always been pretty ambivalent about whether Pete should be in the Hall of Fame, but I feel strongly this is a classless way to try and get in.

Mr. Rose doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame, for reasons publicly known and reasons not so publicly known. Without getting into very specific explanations, permit me to simply say that there is a lot of information out there that people in baseball--including its umpires--know about Rose's shady past.

MLB security and some agents of the FBI, when briefing us on such matters, showed us many examples of the behavior of Rose and numerous other such persons.