Pete Rose And Shoeless Joe Jackson Are Now Eligible For The Hall Of Fame, But Rose Should Still Not Get In

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SOURCE - In a historic, sweeping decision, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday removed Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and other deceased players from Major League Baseball's permanently ineligible list. 

"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose's removal from the list Jan. 8. "Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. 

Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the board of the Hall of Fame, said Manfred's decision will allow Rose, Jackson and others to be considered by the Historical Overview Committee, which will "develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee … to vote on when it meets next in December 2027." Rose and Jackson would need 12 of 16 votes to win induction. 

The debate that has carried sports talk radio stations in quiet weeks is now over after over 35 years. Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe are now eligible for Hall Of Fame. I'm just not sure one of them gets in anytime soon.

It's always important to say what induction to the Hall Of Fame actually means. Pete Rose is still a part of the museum. It's not like Voldemort where you can't say his name. He's the all-time hit leader. But it means he doesn't have a plaque and is not a Hall Of Famer. For example, Curt Schilling's bloody sock is on display, but he doesn't have a plaque either. But he's still in the museum.

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Pete Rose was a great player. He played way longer than he should have and was a stat compiler but that doesn't change his HOF resume. Based on just his playing ability, he's a clear cut first ballot HOFer. No question about it.

The issue is about Pete Rose the man, never Pete Rose the athlete. 

SOURCE - Rose was his own worst enemy. For nearly 15 years, he denied having placed a single bet on baseball. In the early 2000s, then-commissioner Selig offered Rose a chance, but with conditions, including an admission that he bet on baseball and a requirement that he stop gambling and making casino appearances.

Rose declined.

In January 2004, he admitted in his book "My Prison Without Bars" that he had gambled on baseball as the Reds manager. But he insisted he bet only on his team to win. In 2015, ESPN reported that a notebook seized from a Rose associate showed Rose had also wagered on baseball while still a player, something he would not acknowledge.

Rose's illegal gambling and prison time aren't the only stains on a legacy that might be weighed by Hall of Fame voters, a group instructed to consider integrity, sportsmanship and character.

In 2017, a woman's sworn statement accused Rose of statutory rape; she said they began having sex when she was 14 or 15 and Rose was in his 30s. Rose said he thought she was 16, the age of consent in Ohio at the time. Two days later, the Phillies announced the cancellation of Rose's Wall of Fame induction.

Pete Rose was a bad person.  Now, there are a few bad people in the Hall Of Fame. Cap Anson and Ty Cobb were not good people. But they were also inducted in Cooperstown in a different time.

I imagine when the Classic Baseball Era committee meets, both Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose will be on the 8 person ballot. I also think Shoeless Joe gets in. Ted Williams made a very compelling case for Jackson when he was inducted. I think it also helps his cause that the 1919 World Series happened long before any voter was born.

If you're in your early 40's or older, you remember Rose getting banned from baseball. You remember the lies and the defiance. You remember him serving time in prison for tax evasion. You remember the person.

These veteran committees have not recently been very forgiving. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens couldn't even get four votes the last time they came up for consideration. They also needed 12.

I've thought about this decision since it was announced this afternoon. I didn't love the news at first but I've come to agree with Manfred's decision. The dead can't hurt us. Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe got lifetime bans. They aren't alive anymore. The dead can't do anymore damage.

But you can forgive without forgetting. I don't think Rose should be in the Hall Of Fame myself. He ruined that opportunity on many occasions. But we don't need to ban him anymore either.