Funny you mention Bette. A couple of days ago, I watched her on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971, which was fun. Then there was a clip of her on The Tonight Show a decade-plus later, and it was painful. She was skeletal, looked 100 years old, and must have been after her stroke. The contrast was incredible. She was around 60 on Cavett and in her early 70s on Carson.
Hey, I kid, I kid. But I would keep him out. No, baseball does not have a morality clause for Cooperstown—even though the voters seems to be instituting one now. Or at least a nice guy clause. (Big Papi in, Manny out. WTF?)
But Rose violated the one big rule: don't bet on baseball. And that's a good rule. Even as manager, Rose might have ruined some young arm, just to win a bet...
Maybe he doesn't get a plaque, but it's bizarre not to acknowledge what he achieved in the Hall, somewhere. Maybe there can be a special display case for Rose, Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Clemens...all the ne'er-do-wells and why they are so.
...Does this make MLB and all pro sports complete hypocrites, considering their full-on embrace of gambling today? Of course it does! But when the authorities resort to gangster-like activity, the answer isn't to get rid of all laws—it's to stop the gangsterism.
Sports' gambling addiction is a major problem. We need to cure it. That won't change if we put Pete's corpse in Cooperstown—or, for that matter, the corpse of poor old Joe Jackson, who set a World Series record for hits while supposedly trying to fix the Series...
...One of our constant self-deceptions now is that we can somehow fix the past with some sort of "reparations." Nope. The dead are dead. All we can do is to make the present and the future as good as we can make it for everyone. That's a heavy-enough lift.
Pete Rose was a star for the Reds. A tax cheat, he was jailed by the feds. He bet on baseball and got banned from the Hall. No tears here... cause he made his own bed.
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An interesting take from a guy who writes for The Nation:
ReplyDeleteElie Mystal
@ElieNYC
Now that Pete Rose is dead he should go into the Hall of Fame.
A: It was a *lifetime* ban.
B: It’s a museum.
Rose should be in the Hall, but the lifetime ban should be prominently featured. Maybe.
ReplyDeletePete Rose is dead now
ReplyDeleteHe was a total jerk
Speak ill of the dead
Bette Davis: "My mother told me only to speak good of the dead. Pete Rose is dead. Good."
ReplyDeleteFunny you mention Bette. A couple of days ago, I watched her on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971, which was fun. Then there was a clip of her on The Tonight Show a decade-plus later, and it was painful. She was skeletal, looked 100 years old, and must have been after her stroke. The contrast was incredible. She was around 60 on Cavett and in her early 70s on Carson.
DeleteHey, I kid, I kid. But I would keep him out. No, baseball does not have a morality clause for Cooperstown—even though the voters seems to be instituting one now. Or at least a nice guy clause. (Big Papi in, Manny out. WTF?)
ReplyDeleteBut Rose violated the one big rule: don't bet on baseball. And that's a good rule. Even as manager, Rose might have ruined some young arm, just to win a bet...
Maybe he doesn't get a plaque, but it's bizarre not to acknowledge what he achieved in the Hall, somewhere. Maybe there can be a special display case for Rose, Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Clemens...all the ne'er-do-wells and why they are so.
DeleteJust a thought.
...Does this make MLB and all pro sports complete hypocrites, considering their full-on embrace of gambling today? Of course it does! But when the authorities resort to gangster-like activity, the answer isn't to get rid of all laws—it's to stop the gangsterism.
ReplyDeleteSports' gambling addiction is a major problem. We need to cure it. That won't change if we put Pete's corpse in Cooperstown—or, for that matter, the corpse of poor old Joe Jackson, who set a World Series record for hits while supposedly trying to fix the Series...
Joe goes into the special display, too. All the Black Sox, in fact.
Delete...One of our constant self-deceptions now is that we can somehow fix the past with some sort of "reparations." Nope. The dead are dead. All we can do is to make the present and the future as good as we can make it for everyone. That's a heavy-enough lift.
ReplyDeleteFive is all we get
ReplyDeleteIt takes eleven to win
Its all Cashman's fault
Pete Rose loved Schottzie
ReplyDeleteShared a room whilst on the road
Until Marge found out
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAA - really good Haiku to start us off
ReplyDeleteGlad we do Haikus
ReplyDeleteIambic pentameter
Is too difficult.
That said, here's a Pete Rose themed limerick.
ReplyDeletePete Rose was a star for the Reds.
A tax cheat, he was jailed by the feds.
He bet on baseball
and got banned from the Hall.
No tears here... cause he made his own bed.
And Detroit is beating Houston 3-0 so far.
ReplyDelete