Last May I wrote a piece on Pete Rose, advocating his return to baseball. Since then, I’ve received a lot of input and studied the matter in more detail. I still support most of the original article, but here’s what I think should happen:
1. Pete admits he gambled on baseball.
2. The commissioner reinstates him on August 23, 1999, the tenth anniversary of his suspension.
Quite simply, Pete is being left out of baseball because of his belligerence in regards to whether or not he bet on baseball, and the fact is that no one believes him. His public stance as the "wronged man" doesn’t wash, because most people believe that Rose was not wronged, and that if he didn’t deserve a lifetime suspension, why would he agree to one?
As I said before, I think Pete agreed to the deal in 1989 because the feds were breathing down his neck, and an investigation into his gambling would uncover things for which he could be sent to jail. He went to prison anyway, of course, but that danger is past now.
If Pete Rose gambled on the Reds to win, he should admit it. I think a ten year suspension would send the message that gambling on your own team is wrong. A suspension of that length is a career killer for a player, and harms a managing career beyond repair also. If Pete gambled on the Reds to lose, he should never be let back in, but there’s no reason to believe he did so.
The public would respond to Pete Rose saying, in effect, "Look, I messed up. I made a very serious mistake, but I’m ready to admit it and face it now. I bet on the Reds to win, and I bet on other teams also. My gambling was way out of control, but I’m better now, and I won’t injure baseball again with my behavior."
Besides, who would hire Pete again as a manager? When Jim Bowden suggested that he’d be interested in Pete managing the Reds again, I thought Bowden was sniffing the glue from the AstroTurf. With managers like Cito Gaston, Larry Parrish, Hal McRae, and many others available (or close to being available), why recycle Pete Rose, who did an indifferent job the first time around? If they want a big name to put fans back in the seats, bring back Sparky Anderson, not Pete Rose.