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New evidence was uncovered by ESPN’s ‘Outside the Lines’ that indicates that Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose did in fact place bets while he was a player-manager in 1986.
When regarding Rose’s chances of reinstatement, John Dowd, a former federal prosecutor who led Major League Baseball’s investigation, said, “This does it. This closes the door.”
If Rose’s betting ends his chance at the Hall of Fame, MLB needs to make a corresponding move – state all PED users are exempt from the Hall as well.
The argument I have always believed in is this: If you are handing someone a lifetime ban for indirectly affecting the game, then similar, if not greater, repercussions should be taken to those who cheated in ways that directly affected the game.
For example, if Rose is banned, then players such as Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez should have their records taken away and be banned from the Hall of Fame as well. Rodriguez has openly admitted to using steroids while Bonds is widely believed to have taken steroids as well.
If we ban Rose for his act and fail to uphold the same standards in other cases, which arguably are worse offenses, then the league needs to look in the mirror.
What kind of message does it send to not only the fans who are in the stands, but the kids who are working toward their dream of being a future MLB superstar, if they know they can’t bet on the game, but they can take steroids?
In the article by ESPN, Dowd was also quoted as saying:
The rule says, if you bet, it doesn’t say for or against. It’s another device by Pete to try to excuse what he did…But when he bet, he was gone. He placed his financial interest ahead of the Reds, period.
One could use the same “financial interest” argument with steroids. It’s simple: A player decides to use steroids to improve his play in order to “earn” a greater contract. With this argument, the steroid player would have to be held to the same standards as Rose is being attached to.
If the league wants to gain more respect from the fans, then it needs to create a discipline system that carries equal punishments based on the offense.
Chad Troyan is a baseball and football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChadTroyan15, “Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
