The complicated case, and life, of Pete Rose

The complicated case, and life, of Pete Rose
                        

A few thoughts from the week in sports …

Pete Rose is baseball's all-time Hit King and one of the greatest players ever.

I'm certain lots of baseball fans age 50 or older would join me in saying Rose was one of their favorite players to watch. He was one of the most popular players of the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

I consider myself fortunate to have watched the player nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” play in person at the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cleveland and also many times on TV.

Rose’s accomplishments speak for themselves. In addition to his 4,256 hits over 24 seasons, he won the National League Rookie of the Year and MVP, made the All-Star Game at an unmatched five different positions, and played for three World Series champions (Reds 1975, ‘76 and Phillies 1980).

What put Rose over the top in popularity was the way he played. Nobody played harder or appeared to care more about winning.

Rose was someone the common fan could live vicariously through. He was of average size at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds and seemingly average athletic ability but got every ounce of production he could out of his stocky body.

I can’t count how many times I imitated his low-crouch batting stance playing Wiffle, batting lefty and righty. He sprinted to first base even after drawing a walk.

And who else has a slide named after them? A head-first dive into a base will forever be called a “Petey Rose” in my book.

Too many times over the years, though, Rose slid into trouble off the field due to bush league behavior.

The most infamous of Rose's missteps resulted in him accepting a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 for repeatedly betting on the sport while managing the Reds. Rose also did a prison term for tax evasion in 1990 and had dysfunctional family and personal relationships.

Rose's death at age 83 on Sept. 30 was an extremely sad day for baseball fans far and wide. It's never easy to see our heroes get old and die, and few were as beloved.

Rose’s passing immediately reignited arguably the most polarizing sports debate of the last three-plus decades: should he finally be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

This debate has been pretty split over the years, with good arguments from both sides. I find most Rose Hall of Fame debaters about as entrenched as Democrats and Republicans in their beliefs, with no room to be swayed.

Some readers may be surprised to know I was in favor of keeping Rose out of the HOF, as much as it hurts to say.

Baseball has one major rule: don't bet on the game. It protects the integrity of the sport.

It's posted in every locker room, and players and managers know they will be banned if they're caught. Rose was a historian of the sport, looking up as much information about Ty Cobb as he could during the chase to eclipse his hit record.

Obviously, Rose also knew about the Black Sox scandal of 1919, which saw eight players including the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson suspended for life after collaborating with bettors to “throw” the World Series.

Rose ignored baseball’s No. 1 rule when he bet on games while he was manager of the Reds. Although Rose eventually said he never bet on his team to lose, that's a cop-out because on days he bet on them to win he was more likely to go all out for the victory. Who’s to say he didn’t leave a star pitcher in longer or turn to his better relievers to win bets?

By keeping Rose out all these years, it served as a lesson for many players in the years that followed who did not want to get caught up in the same type of scandal. Many inevitably didn't even think about betting on games because they knew they'd also be banned.

A compelling argument since Rose's death states, “Pete Rose served his lifetime ban. Now it's time to let him into the Hall of Fame.”

I would be OK with that, but understand it's also a controversial idea. Many Rose HOF supporters argue that would be “hypocritical” and “too late.” Even Rose said he didn’t want to go into the HOF posthumously.

Of course, if Rose’s ban is lifted, then Shoeless Joe also would have to be deemed eligible.

Whether Rose is elected into the HOF or not, it can't take away the accomplishments of the 17-time All Star’s extraordinary career.

No one else like Pete

Rose has always loomed larger than life when I think about baseball, since I first started following the sport and collecting baseball cards in second grade.

One of my earliest recollections of a specific play was in the 1981 World Series when catcher Bob Boone dropped a foul pop-up and Rose was right there to catch it near the first base dugout. Even as a 10-year-old, I realized it was really something for Rose to have hustled over from first base and been aware to be ready as a backup.

Parting shots

The American League playoff field appears wide open, and the Guardians have as good a shot as anyone. I can't wait to watch the playoffs.

—A big thank you goes out to all the people who have reached out to offer condolences since the passing of my dad, Robert Dorksen, at age 82 on Sept. 5.

I chose not to write a full column about my dad because I felt like I said everything in the obituary that I wrote, which people can find by Googling his name.

My dad was a photographer and photo editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and got me interested in journalism at a young age. Much more importantly, he was a great father, teacher and my hero. Thanks for everything, Dad.


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