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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Calls Escalate Against Rob Manfred After MLB's Pete Rose Decision
For Major League Baseball, Tuesday's news cycle produced a monumental piece of legislation. Less than eight months after passing away, Pete Rose — owner of 4,256 hits — officially received eligibility for the MLB Hall of Fame. Announced by the Office of the Commissioner Rob Manfred, Rose's lifetime ban from baseball was lifted on May 13, 2025 alongside fellow-ostracized star, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who was a member of the notorious 1919 Chicago Black Sox team. Pete Rose — who leads MLB with 4,256 total hits — addresses the crowd at Great American Ball Park in June of Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Images Tuesday's change in status for Rose and Jackson (and potentially others) came after attention was called to the specific details of remaining on MLB's permanently ineligible list after death. Advertisement Per members of Pete Rose's family "made it incumbent upon the Office of the Commissioner to reach a policy decision on this unprecedented issue in the modern era as Mr. Rose is the first person banned after the tenure of Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to die while still on the ineligible list." Major League Baseball's official statement continued with, "Commissioner Manfred has concluded that MLB's policy shall be that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual." For reference, Rose's exile from baseball was instituted in 1989, when "Charlie Hustle" was managing his beloved Cincinnati Reds (see Dowd Report). Since then, the entire situation has been one of the most hotly debated quagmires in modern sports—especially with the recent rise of digital sports betting. Advertisement As noted, Rose succumbed to a heart disease in September of 2024, living until the age of 83. Related: Yankees Must Trade For $44 Million Rockies All-Star After Oswaldo Cabrera Injury Tuesday's hall-of-fame news for the Rose family comes not-so-long after Rose's death, which has left many supporters of the game feeling particularly disturbed, especially with Commissioner Manfred. One X (formerly known as Twitter) user wrote, "Just when you think Rob Manfred can't screw up the sport more, he strikes again. What a total disgrace this decision is." Another chimed in with, "Manfred is such a coward. The amount of inductees that couldn't pass the 'character test' in the HOF would empty a few hallways. What a profile in courage." Advertisement Scrolling further, the comments don't appear to get any friendlier for MLB's current commissioner. "Just disgraceful by the MLB and Rob Manfred. He should've been added a long time ago. Waited until after he died and just something that people do all the time now. MLB just keeps ruining itself," a user directed at ESPN's post on the matter. Related: Pete Rose to be Honored By Reds In his statement, Manfred denounces any personal responsibility with the Rose situation, citing actions of previous commissioners and that of the Rose family as grounds for the historic eligibility reversal. Throughout 24 MLB campaigns playing for the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos, Rose was among the most polarizing figures in sports. However, his tenacity on the baseball diamond and will to win could never be denied. He earned three World Series titles as an integral figure on the "Big Red Machine." Advertisement Of course, Rose is not officially enshrined in Cooperstown just yet. According to "The Historical Overview Committee will develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee — which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 — to vote on when it meets next in December 2027." Related: Major League Baseball Unbans Phillies' Pete Rose After 35 Years Rose was divisive on the field, and the recent news of his posthumous eligibility is having a similar effect—some are overjoyed, some are angry and many are confused. As for the family of the MLB Commissioner who originally banned Rose? Bart Giamatti's son, Marcus Giamatti, staunchly told USA TODAY Sports, "It's a serious dark day for baseball."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pete Rose reinstated by MLB, eligible for the Hall of Fame: How we got here and what it means
Integrity, MLB announced Tuesday, is as fluid as the passing of time. In a landmark judgment, commissioner Rob Manfred removed MLB's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, deadball icon 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased transgressors from the league's permanently ineligible list. The verdict means Rose, banned for life in 1989 for betting on major-league games, is now eligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. 'In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,' Manfred said in a statement announcing the decision. 'Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.' Technically, the verdict from Manfred that 'permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual' covers all 16 of the deceased players (and one former team owner) on MLB's permanently ineligible list. But for all intents and purposes, Manfred's decision, and the timing of said decision, is entirely about opening a door to Cooperstown for Rose. When Rose hung up his cleats in November 1986, induction into the Hall felt inevitable. That's because his statistical accomplishments were staggering, overwhelming. His 4,256 hits still top the MLB record book. So do his 3,562 games played and his 15,890 plate appearances. Across 24 seasons, Rose made 17 All-Star teams, captured three batting titles, won the 1973 NL MVP and lifted three World Series trophies. Along the way, Rose's edgy, unapologetic, all-out style of play earned him the nickname 'Charlie Hustle' and made him a sporting hero to a generation of baseball fans. Graded purely on sporting merit, there's no debate that Rose's résumé warrants inclusion in MLB's hallowed halls. But even on-field greatness has its limits. In March 1989, Rose was alleged to have bet on baseball while serving as player/manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1987. That saga, which unfurled amid a changeover in commissioner from Peter Ueberroth to A. Bartlett Giamatti, dominated the 1989 MLB season. In August of that year, Giamatti, following an MLB investigation into the gambling allegations and the resulting Dowd Report, announced that baseball's hit king would be placed on MLB's ineligible list and banned for life. 'The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode,' Giamatti announced to a throng of reporters and cameras at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. 'One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts.' Rose, as it turned out, also died with those consequences. On Sept. 30, 2024, the final day of the MLB season, Rose passed away at the age of 83. In the 35 years between his banishment and death, the firebrand did not exactly embark on a lengthy apology tour. Quite the opposite. Although he proclaimed on banishment day that he would 'never bet on any kind of sports again,' Rose continued to live a life dominated by gambling and defined by denial of culpability — in addition to a prison sentence for tax evasion in 1990 and statutory rape allegations that emerged in 2017. Rose's obstinance continued in spite of a declaration from Giamatti that, "The burden to show a redirected, reconfigured, rehabilitated life is entirely Pete Rose's." The league, essentially, left a window to reinstatement open. But the ever-stubborn Rose, by failing to show sufficient contrition or meaningfully alter his conduct, continually slammed it shut. Manfred confirmed as much in 2015, pointing right at Rose's behavior when he denied another reinstatement request from the then-still-living ballplayer. 'In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.' In other words, despite Rose's repeated requests and assertions that he deserved reconsideration, Manfred did not deem the scorned ex-player worthy of reinstatement. So what changed? Rose's death obviously played a significant role. For years, Manfred thwarted Rose's many thinly veiled attempts to reingratiate himself. That Rose was never able to experience the joy and fulfillment of Hall of Fame enshrinement during his lifetime appears to have been sufficient punishment in Manfred's eyes. Still, the exact timing of Rose's removal from the ineligible list is about more than the aftereffects of his death. On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump posted a lengthy screed praising Rose and promising to 'sign a complete PARDON' of the disgraced ballplayer. Trump's public affection toward Rose stretches back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when, at a Cincinnati-area rally, the president called for the beloved Red to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. Trump rehashed the topic during the 2020 election, perhaps trying to sponge up votes in Ohio, a crucial swing state. Then, six weeks after Trump initially reopened Pandora's Rose, he hosted Manfred at the White House. 'One of the topics was Pete Rose, but I'm not going beyond that,' Manfred told reporters afterward. 'He's said what he said publicly. I'm not going beyond that in terms of what the back-and-forth was.' Manfred's silence on the specifics couldn't hide the real story. And now, just a month later, Trump's insistence has borne fruit. Let's be clear: MLB's willingness to accommodate Trump on Rose is about more than typical political pandering. The commissioner's office is surely worried about the administration's sway over (1) the league's antitrust exemption and (2) the hundreds of work visas granted to Venezuelan and Cuban ballplayers each year. There are no indications that a direct quid pro quo has taken place, but Trump's tendency toward aggressive and, at times, punitive immigration policy has likely contributed to MLB's hyper-careful approach to the current president. Whether Rose is eventually elected or not is likely of little importance to Manfred. This mess isn't his problem anymore. He got the ball out of his court and the president on his good side. And besides, Rose's removal from the permanently ineligible list does not guarantee his enshrinement. The soonest he could be elected is in December 2027, when the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee, a group of 16 baseball acolytes — Hall of Famers, retired execs, tenured media members — will next vote on Rose's era. If 12 of those 16 put Rose on their ballot, he will earn a spot in Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2028. Viewed through a romantic lens, that means the game itself will now decide Rose's fate. Not Manfred. Not Trump. Not the court of public opinion. In a way, it's something of a fitting conclusion to what has been an exhausting, decades-long saga. And if the words of Giamatti still carry any weight, those voting might not look brightly upon Rose. 'I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions — I among them — and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution,' Giamatti waxed on the day he banned Rose. 'It must assert and aspire to the highest principles — of integrity, of professionalism, of performance, of fair play within its rules.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pete Rose reinstated by MLB, eligible for the Hall of Fame: How we got here and what it means
Integrity, MLB announced Tuesday, is as fluid as the passing of time. In a landmark judgment, commissioner Rob Manfred removed MLB's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, deadball icon 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased transgressors from the league's permanently ineligible list. The verdict means Rose, banned for life in 1989 for betting on major-league games, is now eligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. 'In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,' Manfred said in a statement announcing the decision. 'Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.' Technically, the verdict from Manfred that 'permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual' covers all 16 of the deceased players (and one former team owner) on MLB's permanently ineligible list. But for all intents and purposes, Manfred's decision, and the timing of said decision, is entirely about opening a door to Cooperstown for Rose. When Rose hung up his cleats in November 1986, induction into the Hall felt inevitable. That's because his statistical accomplishments were staggering, overwhelming. His 4,256 hits still top the MLB record book. So do his 3,562 games played and his 15,890 plate appearances. Across 24 seasons, Rose made 17 All-Star teams, captured three batting titles, won the 1973 NL MVP and lifted three World Series trophies. Along the way, Rose's edgy, unapologetic, all-out style of play earned him the nickname 'Charlie Hustle' and made him a sporting hero to a generation of baseball fans. Graded purely on sporting merit, there's no debate that Rose's résumé warrants inclusion in MLB's hallowed halls. But even on-field greatness has its limits. In March 1989, Rose was alleged to have bet on baseball while serving as player/manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1987. That saga, which unfurled amid a changeover in commissioner from Peter Ueberroth to A. Bartlett Giamatti, dominated the 1989 MLB season. In August of that year, Giamatti, following an MLB investigation into the gambling allegations and the resulting Dowd Report, announced that baseball's hit king would be placed on MLB's ineligible list and banned for life. 'The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode,' Giamatti announced to a throng of reporters and cameras at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. 'One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts.' Rose, as it turned out, also died with those consequences. On Sept. 30, 2024, the final day of the MLB season, Rose passed away at the age of 83. In the 35 years between his banishment and death, the firebrand did not exactly embark on a lengthy apology tour. Quite the opposite. Although he proclaimed on banishment day that he would 'never bet on any kind of sports again,' Rose continued to live a life dominated by gambling and defined by denial of culpability — in addition to a prison sentence for tax evasion in 1990 and statutory rape allegations that emerged in 2017. Rose's obstinance continued in spite of a declaration from Giamatti that, "The burden to show a redirected, reconfigured, rehabilitated life is entirely Pete Rose's." The league, essentially, left a window to reinstatement open. But the ever-stubborn Rose, by failing to show sufficient contrition or meaningfully alter his conduct, continually slammed it shut. Manfred confirmed as much in 2015, pointing right at Rose's behavior when he denied another reinstatement request from the then-still-living ballplayer. 'In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.' In other words, despite Rose's repeated requests and assertions that he deserved reconsideration, Manfred did not deem the scorned ex-player worthy of reinstatement. So what changed? Rose's death obviously played a significant role. For years, Manfred thwarted Rose's many thinly veiled attempts to reingratiate himself. That Rose was never able to experience the joy and fulfillment of Hall of Fame enshrinement during his lifetime appears to have been sufficient punishment in Manfred's eyes. Still, the exact timing of Rose's removal from the ineligible list is about more than the aftereffects of his death. On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump posted a lengthy screed praising Rose and promising to 'sign a complete PARDON' of the disgraced ballplayer. Trump's public affection toward Rose stretches back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when, at a Cincinnati-area rally, the president called for the beloved Red to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. Trump rehashed the topic during the 2020 election, perhaps trying to sponge up votes in Ohio, a crucial swing state. Then, six weeks after Trump initially reopened Pandora's Rose, he hosted Manfred at the White House. 'One of the topics was Pete Rose, but I'm not going beyond that,' Manfred told reporters afterward. 'He's said what he said publicly. I'm not going beyond that in terms of what the back-and-forth was.' Manfred's silence on the specifics couldn't hide the real story. And now, just a month later, Trump's insistence has borne fruit. Let's be clear: MLB's willingness to accommodate Trump on Rose is about more than typical political pandering. The commissioner's office is surely worried about the administration's sway over (1) the league's antitrust exemption and (2) the hundreds of work visas granted to Venezuelan and Cuban ballplayers each year. There are no indications that a direct quid pro quo has taken place, but Trump's tendency toward aggressive and, at times, punitive immigration policy has likely contributed to MLB's hyper-careful approach to the current president. Whether Rose is eventually elected or not is likely of little importance to Manfred. This mess isn't his problem anymore. He got the ball out of his court and the president on his good side. And besides, Rose's removal from the permanently ineligible list does not guarantee his enshrinement. The soonest he could be elected is in December 2027, when the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee, a group of 16 baseball acolytes — Hall of Famers, retired execs, tenured media members — will next vote on Rose's era. If 12 of those 16 put Rose on their ballot, he will earn a spot in Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2028. Viewed through a romantic lens, that means the game itself will now decide Rose's fate. Not Manfred. Not Trump. Not the court of public opinion. In a way, it's something of a fitting conclusion to what has been an exhausting, decades-long saga. And if the words of Giamatti still carry any weight, those voting might not look brightly upon Rose. 'I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions — I among them — and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution,' Giamatti waxed on the day he banned Rose. 'It must assert and aspire to the highest principles — of integrity, of professionalism, of performance, of fair play within its rules.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pete Rose reinstated by MLB, eligible for the Hall of Fame: How we got here and what it means
Integrity, MLB announced Tuesday, is as fluid as the passing of time. In a landmark judgment, commissioner Rob Manfred removed MLB's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, deadball icon 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased transgressors from the league's permanently ineligible list. The verdict means Rose, banned for life in 1989 for betting on major-league games, is now eligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. Advertisement 'In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,' Manfred said in a statement announcing the decision. 'Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.' Technically, the verdict from Manfred that 'permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual' covers all 16 of the deceased players (and one former owner) on MLB's permanently ineligible list. But for all intents and purposes, Manfred's decision, and the timing of said decision, is entirely about opening a door to Cooperstown for Rose. When Rose hung up his cleats in November 1986, induction into the Hall felt inevitable. That's because his statistical accomplishments were staggering, overwhelming. His 4,256 hits still top the MLB record book. So do his 3,562 games played and his 15,890 plate appearances. Across 24 seasons, Rose made 17 All-Star teams, captured three batting titles, won the 1973 NL MVP and lifted three World Series trophies. Along the way, Rose's edgy, unapologetic, all-out style of play earned him the nickname 'Charlie Hustle' and made him a sporting hero to a generation of baseball fans. Graded purely on sporting merit, there's no debate that Rose's résumé warrants inclusion in MLB's hallowed halls. But even on-field greatness has its limits. In March 1989, Rose was alleged to have bet on baseball while serving as player/manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1987. That saga, which unfurled amidst a changeover in commissioner from Peter Ueberroth to A. Bartlett Giamatti, dominated the 1989 MLB season. In August of that year, commissioner Giamatti, following an MLB investigation into the gambling allegations and the resulting Dowd Report, announced that baseball's hit king would be placed on MLB's ineligible list and banned for life. Advertisement 'The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode,' Giamatti announced to a throng of reporters and cameras at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. 'One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts.' Rose, as it turned out, also died with those consequences. On Sept. 30, 2024, the final day of the MLB season, Rose passed away at the age of 83. In the 35 years between his banishment and death, the firebrand did not exactly embark on an apology tour. Quite the opposite. Although he proclaimed on banishment day that he would 'never bet on any kind of sports again,' Rose continued to live a life dominated by gambling and defined by denial of culpability — in addition to a prison sentence for tax evasion in 1990 and statutory rape allegations that emerged in 2017. Rose's bad behavior continued in spite of a declaration from Giamatti that "The burden to show a redirected, reconfigured, rehabilitated life is entirely Pete Rose's." The league, essentially, left a window to reinstatement open. But the ever-stubborn Rose, by failing to show sufficient contrition or meaningfully alter his behavior, continually slammed it shut. Advertisement Manfred confirmed as much in 2015, pointing right at Rose's obstinacy when he denied another reinstatement request from the then-still-living ballplayer. 'In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.' In other words, despite Rose's repeated requests and assertions that he deserved reconsideration, Manfred did not deem the scorned ex-player worthy of reinstatement. So what changed? Advertisement Rose's passing obviously played a significant role. For years, Manfred thwarted Rose's many thinly veiled attempts to reingratiate himself. That Rose was never able to experience the joy and fulfillment of Hall of Fame enshrinement during his lifetime appears to have been sufficient punishment in Manfred's eyes. But the exact timing of Rose's removal from the ineligible list is about more than the aftereffects of his death. On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump posted a lengthy screed praising Rose and promising to 'sign a complete PARDON' of the disgraced ballplayer. Trump's public affection toward Rose stretches back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when, at a Cincinnati-area rally, the president called for the beloved Red to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. Trump rehashed the topic during the 2020 election, perhaps trying to sponge up votes in Ohio, a crucial swing state. Then, six weeks after Trump initially reopened Pandora's Rose, he hosted Manfred at the White House. 'One of the topics was Pete Rose, but I'm not going beyond that,' Manfred told reporters afterward. 'He's said what he said publicly. I'm not going beyond that in terms of what the back-and-forth was.' Advertisement But Manfred's silence on the specifics couldn't hide the real story. And now, just a month later, Trump's insistence has borne fruit. Let's be clear: MLB's willingness to accommodate Trump on Rose is about more than typical political pandering. The commissioner's office is surely worried about the administration's sway over (1) the league's antitrust exemption and (2) the hundreds of work visas granted to Venezuelan and Cuban ballplayers each year. There are no indications that a direct quid pro quo has taken place, but Trump's tendency toward aggressive and, at times, punitive immigration policy has likely contributed to MLB's hyper-careful approach to the current president. Whether Rose is eventually elected or not is likely of little importance to Manfred. This mess isn't his problem anymore. He got the ball out of his court and the president on his good side. And besides, Rose's removal from the permanently ineligible list does not guarantee his enshrinement. The soonest he could be elected is in December 2027, when the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee, a group of 16 baseball acolytes — Hall of Famers, retired execs, tenured media members — will next vote on Rose's era. If 12 of 16 put Rose on their ballot, he will earn a spot in Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2028. Viewed through a romantic lens, that means the game itself will now decide Rose's fate. Not Manfred. Not Trump. Not the court of public opinion. In a way, it's something of a fitting conclusion to what has been an exhausting, decades-long saga. And if the words of Bart Giamatti still carry any weight, those voting might not look brightly upon Rose. 'I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions — I among them — and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution,' Giamatti waxed on the day he banned Rose. 'It must assert and aspire to the highest principles — of integrity, of professionalism, of performance, of fair play within its rules.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pete Rose reinstated by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred: How we got here and what it means
Integrity, MLB announced Tuesday, is as fluid as the passing of time. In a landmark judgment, commissioner Rob Manfred removed MLB's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, deadball icon 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased transgressors from the league's permanently ineligible list. The verdict means Rose, banned in 1989 for betting on major-league games, is now eligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. Advertisement 'In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,' Manfred said in a statement announcing the decision. 'Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.' Technically, the verdict from Manfred that 'permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual' covers all 16 of the deceased players (and one former owner) on MLB's permanently ineligible list. But for all intents and purposes, Manfred's decision, and the timing of said decision, is entirely about opening a door to Cooperstown for Rose. When Rose hung up his cleats in November 1986, induction into the Hall felt inevitable. That's because his statistical accomplishments were staggering, overwhelming. His 4,256 hits still top the MLB record book. So do his 3,562 games played and his 15,890 plate appearances. Across 24 seasons, Rose made 17 All-Star teams, captured three batting titles, won the 1973 NL MVP and lifted three World Series trophies. Along the way, Rose's edgy, unapologetic, all-out style of play earned him the nickname 'Charlie Hustle' and made him a sporting hero to a generation of baseball fans. Graded purely on sporting merit, there's no debate that Rose's résumé warrants inclusion in MLB's hallowed halls. Advertisement But even on-field greatness has its limits. In March 1989, Rose was alleged to have bet on baseball while serving as player/manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1987. That saga, which unfurled amidst a changeover in commissioner from Peter Ueberroth to A. Bartlett Giamatti, dominated the 1989 MLB season. In August of that year, commissioner Giamatti, following an MLB investigation into the gambling allegations and the resulting Dowd Report, announced that baseball's hit king would be placed on MLB's ineligible list and banned for life. 'The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode,' Giamatti announced to a throng of reporters and cameras at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. 'One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts.' Rose, as it turned out, also died with those consequences. Advertisement On Sept. 30, 2024, the final day of the MLB season, Rose passed away at the age of 83. In the 35 years between his banishment and death, the firebrand did not exactly embark on an apology tour. Quite the opposite. Although he proclaimed on banishment day that he would 'never bet on any kind of sports again,' Rose continued to live a life dominated by gambling and defined by denial of culpability — in addition to a prison sentence for tax evasion in 1990 and statutory rape allegations that emerged in 2017. Rose's bad behavior continued in spite of a declaration from Giamatti that "The burden to show a redirected, reconfigured, rehabilitated life is entirely Pete Rose's." The league, essentially, left a window to reinstatement open. But the ever-stubborn Rose, by failing to show sufficient contrition or meaningfully alter his behavior, continually slammed it shut. Manfred confirmed as much in 2015, pointing right at Rose's obstinacy when he denied another reinstatement request from the then-still-living ballplayer. 'In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.' Advertisement In other words, despite Rose's repeated requests and assertions that he deserved reconsideration, Manfred did not deem the scorned ex-player worthy of reinstatement. So what changed? Rose's passing obviously played a significant role. For years, Manfred thwarted Rose's many thinly veiled attempts to reingratiate himself. That Rose was never able to experience the joy and fulfillment of Hall of Fame enshrinement during his lifetime appears to have been sufficient punishment in Manfred's eyes. But the exact timing of Rose's removal from the ineligible list is about more than the aftereffects of his death. Advertisement On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump posted a lengthy screed praising Rose and promising to 'sign a complete PARDON' of the disgraced ballplayer. Trump's public affection toward Rose stretches back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when, at a Cincinnati-area rally, the president called for the beloved Red to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. Trump rehashed the topic during the 2020 election, perhaps trying to sponge up votes in Ohio, a crucial swing state. Then, six weeks after Trump initially reopened Pandora's Rose, he hosted Manfred at the White House. 'One of the topics was Pete Rose, but I'm not going beyond that,' Manfred told reporters afterward. 'He's said what he said publicly. I'm not going beyond that in terms of what the back-and-forth was.' But Manfred's silence on the specifics couldn't hide the real story. And now, just a month later, Trump's insistence has borne fruit. Advertisement Let's be clear: MLB's willingness to accommodate Trump on Rose is about more than typical political pandering. The commissioner's office is surely worried about the administration's sway over (1) the league's antitrust exemption and (2) the hundreds of work visas granted to Venezuelan and Cuban ballplayers each year. There are no indications that a direct quid pro quo has taken place, but Trump's tendency toward aggressive and, at times, punitive immigration policy has likely contributed to MLB's hyper-careful approach to the current president. Whether Rose is eventually elected or not is likely of little importance to Manfred. This mess isn't his problem anymore. He got the ball out of his court and the president on his good side. And besides, Rose's removal from the permanently ineligible list does not guarantee his enshrinement. The soonest he could be elected is in December 2027, when the Hall's Classic Baseball Era Committee, a group of 16 baseball acolytes — Hall of Famers, retired execs, tenured media members — will next vote on Rose's era. If 12 of 16 put Rose on their ballot, he will earn a spot in Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2028. Viewed through a romantic lens, that means the game itself will now decide Rose's fate. Not Manfred. Not Trump. Not the court of public opinion. In a way, it's something of a fitting conclusion to what has been an exhausting, decades-long saga. And if the words of Bart Giamatti still carry any weight, those voting might not look brightly upon Rose. 'I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions — I among them — and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution,' Giamatti waxed on the day he banned Rose. 'It must assert and aspire to the highest principles — of integrity, of professionalism, of performance, of fair play within its rules.'
