Baseball’s Hall of Fame: A New Chapter for Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson

Baseball’s Hall of Fame: A New Chapter for Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the baseball world, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has made a historic decision. He has removed Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and other deceased players from the game’s “permanently ineligible list.” This decision opens the door for these former stars, who have been deemed deserving based on their on-field accomplishments, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the first opportunity.

This bombshell announcement, which many consider long overdue, was first reported by ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. on Tuesday. Manfred’s decision to remove the bans for Rose, who bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds, and members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, who infamously fixed the World Series, marks a significant reversal of policy.

For years, the banishment of these players was essentially a life sentence for their transgressions, as most of them died decades ago. The majority were on the list for gambling-related offenses. “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in a letter to the attorney who petitioned for Rose.

The primary purpose of the ban was to prevent these players from achieving the immortality of being inducted into Cooperstown, which is officially known as the “National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.” The last word, “museum,” is crucial here.

Museums exist to tell the story of history, and history is inherently messy, even in the world of sports. They shouldn’t be limited to a sanitized, establishment-approved version of events, nor should they allow external considerations to overshadow actual accomplishments. They certainly shouldn’t serve as a tool for enforcing desired behavior.

Let’s consider the case of Pete Rose. Should he have engaged in the actions he did? Of course not. Should he have faced potential criminal or civil consequences for his actions? Absolutely. Was MLB within its rights to suspend or punish him in other ways? Definitely.

Rose, for instance, should never have been allowed to work in baseball again after it was determined he bet on the Reds to win games while he was the manager. However, that doesn’t erase his record 4,256 hits, his three World Series titles, his MVP award in 1973, his 17 All-Star appearances, or his “Charlie Hustle” nickname. Nor does it erase the iconic image of his headfirst slide, which inspired a generation of kids to emulate it, sometimes at the cost of chipped teeth or bruised chests.

Of course, Rose’s story also includes his gambling scandal, a 1990 guilty plea for filing false tax returns that led to five months in federal prison, and a 2017 sworn statement from a woman alleging statutory rape in the 1970s, an allegation for which he was never criminally charged. Throughout his life, Rose could be indefensibly crude, difficult, and confrontational. It’s all part of the story of Pete Rose.

So, let him in, and then tell the good, the bad, and the ugly so the public can decide what to think. This is the Baseball Hall of Fame, not the pearly gates. It’s about a nice day in central New York state with your family, complete with a gift shop.

If the museum is there to tell the history of the sport, how can it do so without Pete Rose? If Hall of Fame induction is reserved for the greatest players, then how could Rose not be among them? His foolishness as a manager shouldn’t have overshadowed his impact as a player.

This is where baseball’s policy was always flawed. It used the prospect of barred entry to the Hall as a deterrent. That isn’t what a museum should be about. The risk of criminal charges, lost wages from suspension, and general shame should be enough. If it isn’t, so be it.

Manfred isn’t ready to release those still living from the ineligible list. He’s clinging to the concept of scaring current players straight. “It is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve,” he wrote in the letter.

Perhaps, but should that be the point?

• The Hall is already filled with assorted louts, drunks, and racists who just happened to be able to either hit or throw a baseball really well.
• Their personal disgrace is part of their history.
• In fairness, their personal failings didn’t affect baseball the way Rose might have as a managerial gambler, and certainly not as the Black Sox did back in the day.

Still, there are owners and commissioners in the Hall who worked for decades to stop baseball from racial integration. That’s a far more widespread impact on the integrity of the game than betting on your team to beat the Dodgers.

Yes, sports wagering is always a concern and was once a major taboo. But public opinion and business realities have changed. There are sportsbooks inside MLB stadiums these days, including, for a stretch, with Rose’s old team in Cincinnati.

History is history. The game is the game. The museum is the museum. Tell the story, the whole story, with all the best players and best teams and best tales, no matter how colorful, criminal, or regrettable.

America can handle it. Our real national pastime is scandal, after all.