Pete Rose: The Gambler Who Should Be In The Hall Of Fame

From 1963 to 1986, Pete Rose was a dominant player in baseball. He was a 17-time all star. A three-time World Series Winner and a two-time Gold Glove Winner. Not to mention all of these awards:

1975 Sports Illustrated Sportsman Of The Year

1963 N.L. Rookie Of The Year

1973 N.L. MVP

1981 Silver Slugger Award Winner

1975 World Series MVP

4,256 Career Hits

160 Home runs

1978: 44-Game Hitting Streak

So why is this baseball legend not in the Hall of Fame?

After Rose stopped playing, he became manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Spending five years with the club, he became the fifth-best manager in Reds history, sporting 426 wins.

In 1989, reports started to funnel in that Rose was betting on baseball, and more importantly, on the Reds. According to several reports, in 1987 Rose bet on 52 Reds games, wagering anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000 dollars.

In 1989, Rose accepted a permanent place on baseball's ineligible list and left baseball all together.

In 1991, the MLB Hall of Fame voted to exclude all players on the ineligible list.

In 1997, Rose applied for reinstatement, but his application never even made it into discussion until 2003. He has yet to be reinstated.

In 2004, Rose publicly admitted to betting on baseball.

"I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I bet on my team to win every night because I loved my team, I believed in my team," Rose said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game"

Now in 2009, what I ask is why are why players who have cheated the fans and the league by using steroids being considered for baseball's Hall of Fame?

How did betting on baseball as a manager take away from all his accomplishments as a player?

Reinstate Rose. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just as much as the anyone.

So he bet on baseball. Yes it was wrong, yes he should not have done it, but this should not take away from his career as a player.

Rose's Major League records:

Most career hits - 4,256

Most career outs - 10,328

Most career games played - 3,562

Most career at bats - 14,053

Most career singles - 3,215

Most career runs by a switch hitter- 2,165

Most career doubles by a switch hitter - 746

Most career walks by a switch hitter - 1,566

Most career total bases by a switch hitter - 5,752

Most seasons of 200 or more hits - 10

Most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits - 23

Most consecutive seasons with 600 or more at bats - 13 (1968-1980)

Most seasons with 600 at bats - 17

Most seasons with 150 or more games played - 17

Most seasons with 100 or more games played - 23

Record for playing in the most winning games - 1,972

Only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different positions 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)

You can not argue against the awards and the records. Reinstate Rose. He deserves it.