On Pete Rose's Anniversary, Little Has Changed

It's been twenty years now since Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban from the sport of baseball for betting on games.  Rarely has the sport seen such a contentious topic,  centering around a man who tried to suppress his guilt from the public in hopes of saving his storied career. In process, he destroyed it further. ESPN's Outside the Lines aired a segment Sunday morning addressing the anniversary of Rose's ban and what, if anything, has changed in twenty years.  Bud Selig and Rose himself declined interviews, but former commissioner and deputy commissioner Fay Vincent appeared, along with Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan. The takeaway?  Little has changed. Around the time of the Hall of Fame inductions this past summer, Rose's name popped up again amidst speculation that Selig had taken audience with Hank Aaron.  Aaron and Selig have a long standing relationship, causing many to speculate that Bud might actually listen to Aaron's pleads to let Rose back in. Now, Mike Schmidt continues the cause, asking Selig to consider reinstatement because Rose has been punished enough. I was a bit incredulous after hearing that statement and, thankfully, Fay Vincent indirectly responded to Schmidt's sentiments, stating that reinstating Rose isn't about Rose, it's about the game of baseball.  The question isn't whether Rose has been punished enough, but whether it is good for baseball for Pete Rose to be back in the game. All of this takes us back to our original question: what has changed? Little.  From the moment he accepted the ban, Rose claimed he had never bet on baseball.  He continued to make that claim until 2002, when Rose met with Selig and admitted that he had, in fact, bet on baseball. That could have been the stepping stone, but Rose wasn't finished.  Rather than present his guilt to the public and show contrition, Rose decided to make some money from his admission and put his confession into written form.  The book, "Pete Rose: My Prison Without Bars," was released at the same time as the announcements for the Hall of Fame inductees for 2004.  Once again, Rose appeared to be slapping baseball in the face. Despite his case being under eternal review in the commissioner's office, it doesn't appear Rose will ever be reinstated under Selig's watch. Why should he?  Fay Vincent put it best when he said our concern shouldn't be how much Pete Rose has been punished.  The concern is what does reinstating Pete Rose do for the game of baseball.  The answer is very little. It was up to Pete Rose to define who he was going forward after agreeing to the ban.  Giamatti recommended Rose reevaluate his life and quit gambling.  Currently, Rose spends most of his time in Las Vegas, doing weekly signings out of store in the Caesar's Palace mall.  During the annual Hall of Fame inductions, Rose sets up shop down the street, signing autographs for the flocks of fans. We could be telling a different story.  It could have been a story of redemption, about a man who hit rock bottom with a gambling habit and lost the game that defined him.  A story of a man who struggled to beat that addiction and healed himself by not only coming forth with the truth, but using that admission to help others.  Pete Rose could have made an example of himself, not as the former ballplayer and all time hits leader image that he so desperately clung to, but as a man who used the same determination that fueled his play on the field to correct his life and help others. Pete Rose could have turned himself into an asset to the game, the comeback player of the year, the guy that people root for because, like all of us, he made a mistake.  And like all of us, he wants to be forgiven. Rose never earned that forgiveness.  He continued his denials and continued to put his own greed ahead of what was best for the game and, ultimately, himself. It is a shame that Rose may never get into the Hall of Fame, but it's not baseball's fault. When you visit the Hall, when you look at the records, Rose's name will still be there.  He hasn't been erased.  No one has added an asterisk.  Rose will be forever remembered as Charlie Hustle, the all time hits leader, one of the grittiest players to ever put on a uniform. He will also be remembered as the man who bet on the game he loved, the game he played for 24 seasons and managed three years beyond that.  The rule has been posted in every clubhouse for almost a century now.  Every player, manager, ballboy and bullpen catcher is aware of it and so was Rose.  He could have bet on football or basketball, but then, they don't play in the summer.  And Rose knew baseball.  He knew it well.  If the game hadn't given him enough already, he has been asking it to give him more, to allow him to break it's rules, spit in it's face, and then forgive him. It's not that easy.  Until Pete Rose reaches that conclusion, very little will change.