Hit King in the Hall: Could Pete Rose Be Reinstated?

I remember him sprinting to first base after ball four.  I remember him rounding the bag at full speed on single up the middle.  I remember him stretching many of those singles into doubles, reaching second base with a head-first slide.

I can close my eyes and recall the exact moment that he broke Ty Cobb's all-time hit record.

Mention the name "Pete" in Cincinnati, Ohio and everyone knows who you are talking about.  Peter Edward Rose.

Numbers were important to Rose, so much so that he was called a "me-me-me" player.  However, he didn't shy away from the usually unpopular label.  He would point out the fact that if everyone on the team put up numbers like him they would win the pennant every year.

Some people were disgusted when he steamrolled over Ray Fosse during the 1970 All-Star Game.  In Roger Kahn's Pete Rose: My Story, Rose was quoted as saying, "I just want to get to that plate as quickly as I can.  Besides, nobody told me they changed it to girls' softball between third and home."

I also remember him being banned from baseball.  At the time, I hated Bart Giamatti and Fay Vincent.  The sight of John Dowd made me sick.  How could they do this to my hero?  Tell me Pete Rose bet on baseball and I will give you the argument of your life.

When he admitted to betting on baseball and the Reds, I didn't know whether to feel sad, angry, or just betrayed.  I began to look at the situation more objectively and think that maybe he didn't deserve a place in baseball.

My momentary doubt was just that.  Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.  With Hank Aaron supporting the issue, Bud Selig may actually take a serious look at reinstatement.

If he would be reinstated and become eligible for the Hall of Fame, it would most likely be up to the 65 living members who make up the Veterans Committee.  Inclusion on the writers' ballot expires after 15 years, although Rose never officially appeared on the ballot.

I would love to see Pete in the Hall of Fame.  It would finally make me want to visit Cooperstown, a place I have never expressed a real interest in going due to the exclusion of the Hit King.

To tell you the truth, I would like to see him fully reinstated...and reinserted...into the Cincinnati Reds' dugout.  I may just be looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but even after all these years, I still enjoy the view.