Pete Rose’s Last Words on Hall of Fame Induction: A Posthumous Debate
In what is believed to be his final interview, baseball legend Pete Rose shared his thoughts on the Hall of Fame, a topic that has long been a source of contention in the baseball community. Rose, who passed away at the age of 83 on September 30, 2024, expressed a poignant belief: “that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die.”
During a sit-down video interview with Dayton, Ohio, sportscaster John Condit on September 20, Rose questioned the value of being inducted into Cooperstown posthumously. The interview was conducted for an undisclosed documentary, just ten days before his death.
“I’ve come to the conclusion — I hope I’m wrong — that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die,” Rose stated. “Which I totally disagree with, because the Hall of Fame is for two reasons: your fans and your family. That’s what the Hall of Fame is for. Your fans and your family. And it’s for your family if you’re here. It’s for your fans if you’re here. Not if you’re 10 feet under. You understand what I’m saying?”
Rose’s words resonate with a sense of frustration and a desire for recognition during his lifetime. “What good is it going to do me or my fans if they put me in the Hall of Fame a couple of years after I pass away? What’s the point? What’s the point? Because they’ll make money over it?” he questioned.
Rose’s career was marred by controversy when he was placed on baseball’s permanently ineligible list by then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in 1989 for gambling on baseball. Despite his efforts to be reinstated, Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected Rose’s bid in 2015. However, sources have revealed that Manfred is reviewing a petition to posthumously remove MLB’s career leader in hits from the ineligible list after meeting with Fawn Rose, Pete Rose’s eldest daughter, and Los Angeles lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov, who represented Rose prior to his death.
In 2020, ESPN reported that Manfred viewed baseball’s banned list as a lifetime punishment, but one that ends upon a player’s death. A senior MLB source indicated that after a banned player dies, MLB informally considers the banning to end. However, Hall of Fame representatives have maintained that if a player dies while still on the banned list, they remain ineligible for consideration.
Rose’s illustrious career, primarily with the Cincinnati Reds, includes three World Series wins. He remains Major League Baseball’s career leader in hits, games played, at-bats, singles, and outs. Yet, his name has never graced a Hall of Fame ballot.
“I’ve come to the conclusion — I hope I’m wrong — that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die. Which I totally disagree with, because the Hall of Fame is for two reasons: your fans and your family. … What good is it going to do me or my fans if they put me in the Hall of Fame a couple of years after I pass away? What’s the point? What’s the point? Because they’ll make money over it?”
In 2004, Rose admitted in a book that he gambled while managing the Reds, though he claimed he only bet on his team to win. Years later, ESPN reported that Rose also placed bets as a player, a claim he never admitted to.
“The Hall of Fame is for what you did on the field, not what you did off the field,” Rose argued in his interview with Condit. “You know, back in the ’20s and ’30s, there were some characters playing baseball. Ty Cobb was a character, OK. … He got away with a lot of stuff. Babe Ruth drank a lot. But people didn’t care as long as you played the game.”
Adding another layer to the discussion, President Donald Trump recently stated he would pardon Rose, though he did not specify what the pardon would cover. Rose served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges in 1990.
Despite the controversies, Rose often highlighted his achievements, stating, “I’m not bitter about everything. I’m the one that f—ed up. Why am I going to be bitter? When you make a mistake, don’t be bitter to other people. I wish I hadn’t made the mistake, but I did. It’s history. Get over it. I didn’t hurt you as a fan. … I didn’t hurt any of my fans by betting on the game of baseball — and by the way, betting on the game of baseball to win. To win, OK?”
He concluded with a nod to his competitive spirit, “I wanted to win every game. … I happened to win more than anybody else, but that’s OK. Not bad.”
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. contributed to this report.
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
