RS, Rose was stubborn and impolitic. The first hurdle in getting into the Hall is concerned with achievement, the second hurdle is navigating a minefield of cultural politics. The Hall of Fame was a great original institution, but it is now just part and parcel of MLB promotion. On the cultural side of baseball, Rose is a great figure in a strange way. He insists on shattering the myth of the pure ballplayer even though he embodied for fans the great American ballplayer: love of the game, selfless dedication, unrelenting effort, masterful play, durability and consistently high achievement. And all with the face of a cherub. Bouton shattered the mythology with Ball Four. Maybe Rose's book should be called Ball Four to Three. And as for hittting 50 homers, well, the balls are made of polyester twine, so there is more bounce, but for hitting safely in 41 straight games, let alone 56, consider the modern player is always facing a fresh pitcher, unlike in DiMaggio's day.
Just doesn't have the intelligence to see how other's perceive him. He is inable to see any other point of view than his own, and this makes him look incredibly stupid. He could have showed some contrition and remorse, but he did not. Instead, all he showed during his interviews this past week was how COMBATIVE, EVASIVE, and ARROGANT he is. Again, the guy may have had 4,256 hits and been one of the greatest, but he has the brain power of a peanut! When asked if he ever made bets from the clubhouse, he was evasive. When asked what time period his betting occured, he chose not to answer the question, and was further evasive. The Veteran's Hall of Fame Committee isn't going to let Pete Rose in. Just look at what Bob Feller has gone on record as saying about Rose, at one point equating Rose with President Clinton: "He was a great hitter. An average manager, a liar, and a crook" What a shame. Before this week, most of America wanted Pete in the Hall of Fame. Now, after continuing to show how much of a moron he is with his Arrogance and Evasivness, lack of remorse or contrition, American's have essentially thrown in the towel, given up on Pete, and are just pissed-off that he's now trying to prosper off of a 14 year lie.
It's not about "Judeo-Christian apeshit" dgab you turkey. It's about the value we put on Integrity itself. Fuck the goddam Hall. Honoring an unrepentent cheat like Rose is stating, loud and clear, that cheating, that lying, that dishonesty is "okay". I'm a 'naturalist', so I'm not arguing for this on any fanciful notions that it's "what God would want". It's that we need values like integrity to be placed upon a pedestal so that people have a guiding light by which to determine the appropriate behavior. Long is the list of sufferers harmed by deceitful rats. And the more public the figure, the more harm can be done. It benefits all of us to hold to this high standard. People will cheat, they will lie, they will act unethically. It's our choice whether we accept such behavior or denounce it; in the interests of ourselves and others. I vote for the latter. And Error, couple of marathon posts there dude. And not a word about your son. Keep it up!
I see it differently RS. Because baseball is held in such high regard, to me, it would make total sense that someone that wilfully, knowingly broke the rules and disrespected the game, this "fabric of America", ought to be kept out of its Hall of Fame. His records and accomplishments will stand. There's no denying those. But when little Johnny is looking through the stats and sees how well Rose done and asks his dad, "how come Pete Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame?", his dad will be able to tell him, "Son, some things in life are more important than 'the numbers'". And they are.
Change that damn handle!?! Someone may read this quickly and regard this lame, self-righteous, bulllshit as my words. Yeah numbnuts, following the rules laid out by some pompous beaurocrats are most definately more important than the amazing feats Pete accomplished on the field! Make sure your son knows this, embed into his very being that following the rules are way more important than fullfilling your destiny and mastering his craft. I knew you could be a real moron before this post, but this most definately ranks up there with one of worst drivel I ever heard come out of your ass.
GREAT book, read it bout 6 months ago! "You spend your life under the illusion you are gripping a baseball, but in the end you realize it was the other way around..." (or something to that effect )
Nah man, I doubt anyone who could post such drivel ever even played ball. He has more than likely spent his life as a spectator (pun most definately intended), but somehow thinks he is qualified to judge Pete.
"Make sure your son knows this, embed into his very being that following the rules are way more important than fulfilling your destiny and mastering his craft." Mastering a craft is not genius. Breaking the rules is not part of mastering a craft. Truly great sports heroes played within the rules, followed the rules and changed the games they played, changed the perceptions of the fans, inspired people to greatness. When I think of the greatest baseball players that I ever saw Pete doesn't even come to mind. Pete? He was just an overachiever. No big deal. I personally don't find it all that inspirational. Like Pete, if I could be like Pete? No way. I would rather pay money to watch pure athletic excellence and creativity than watch a "craftsman." Let me watch Curt Flood, and know what he sacrificed for the game and the players. Let me watch Cal Ripkin, and know what he went through to play in each and every game. Let me watch Sandy Koufax's brilliance as he streaked across the brief span of his career. Let me watch Ricky Henderson steal a base or hit a home run from the leadoff position. Let me watch A-Rod lead the league in home runs. Let me watch a double play turn from Omar Visquel to Robbie Alomar. Let me watch Brooks Robinson extend to catch and uncatchable ball at 3rd base. Let me watch Randy Johnson throw 100 mph. Let me watch the Johnny Bench throw a man out from his knees. Let me watch Hank Aaron, under the pressure and death threats break Babe's record. Let me watch Willie Mays catch, turn, and throw, and then see him play stickball with kids in the street. Let me watch Tony Gwynn win his 8th batting title with class, humility, and grace. Let me watch Reggie in October. Watch Pete Rose squeeze out a single? I don't consider him a great baseball player, just a grinder meat and potatoes man who had a bunch of hits. Big deal. He certainly didn't inspire his team mates. He didn't lead his team to championships. Does he belong in the hall? Who does the hall belong to? To you? To me? To baseball? To the sportswriters? The sportswriters will vote if he is eligible, that is the system. Right now, they are not so hot on Rose. The veterans committee is even cooler on Rose. Even the players that supported him through the years are not happy with him right now given his recent behavior.