Pete Rose petitions Hall of Fame to include him on future ballots
By Ted Fleming
MLB hit king Pete Rose failed to get reinstated by league so it appears he is trying to bypass the commissioner and go directly to Hall president Jeff Idels.
Pete Rose’s long battle to get reinstated by Major League Baseball has fallen on deaf ears, but now, according to a report by Yahoo Sports, he is trying to go around the commissioner’s office and plead his case directly to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A seven-page letter sent to president Jeff Idels was obtained by the outlet asking them to reconsider the bylaw that blocks him from being on any ballot once he received a lifetime ban by then commissioner Bart Giamatti for betting on baseball.
It has been nine months since current boss Rob Manfred denied his application for reinstatement and Rose believes his banishment is separate from his Hall eligibility. The letter, written by longtime attorney Raymond Genco and former ACLU lawyer Mark Rosenbaum, could be the first step in getting Rose on the next and/or subsequent ballots, possibly leading to a court battle with MLB and the Hall of Fame.
According to the letter, “At the time Pete agreed to the settlement, the consequences of being placed on the ineligible list were clear and specific – and did not include a Hall of Fame prohibition.”
Next: MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
Rose has been in the face of baseball for years, showing up at Hall of Fame Induction weekends to sign autographs simply to make his presence known. That was just one of the reasons used by Manfred to keep Rose on the ineligible list. He has not exactly been a model citizen, showing little remorse and barely acknowledging what he did with few apologies, much less being sincere in doing so.
In Manfred’s decision not to reinstate the MLB hit king, one of the things he said was, “Any debate over Mr. Rose’s eligibility for the Hall of Fame is one that must take place in a different forum.” But Idelson responded to the letter with the following: “Pete Rose remains ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration, based on the Hall of Fame’s bylaws, which preclude any individual on baseball’s ineligible list from being considered for election.”
More MLB from FanSided:
Mets Steven Matz to have elbow surgery next week
Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos has torn right ACL
MLB Playoffs: 3 reasons the Cardinals will make it
Rose finished his career with 4,256 hits and holds the all-time record in three other categories – games, plate appearances and at-bats. After his playing career he became a manager where he was charged and ultimately banned for betting on the game. He has always maintained that anything he did after his playing days should not affect his eligibility for the Hall of Fame, unfortunately, there has been some evidence pointing to him gambling on baseball as an active player.
Because of his age, a lengthy lawsuit could be out of the question, although he could put enough pressure on the Hall of Fame to include his name on future ballots. If that were to happen, Rose faces an uphill battle to get enough backing from the Baseball Writers Association of America voters because many have said he is not deserving of their vote. Additionally, the addition of Rose could also affect the eligibility of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson who was banished for being involved in the Black Sox scandal in 1919.