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Pete Rose: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens should be in Hall of Fame

By Ethan Finkelstein

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Pete Rose says he would vote for both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to gain induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose believes Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are both Hall of Fame players. In a recent interview with Reuters, Rose made the proclamation that most should have seen coming.

“Would I vote for Roger Clemens? You’re damn right I would. Would I vote for Barry Bonds? You’re damn right I would. These guys are seven-time MVPs, seven-time Cy Young Award winners.”

That is what the MLB‘s all-time hits leader said in statement made Wednesday. Bonds and Clemens have both been on the ballot since 2013, but have failed to garner significant support, likely due to their connections to performance-enhancing substances reportedly used during each of their respective playing careers.

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When your name is Pete Rose, unfortunately, a lot of what you have to say does not hold much water in the eyes of Major League Baseball; at least individuals directly involved with the organization. However, there will always be one irreversible truth. As it currently stands today, Pete Rose has been professional baseball’s all-time hits leader for 30 years. But wait, there is more. Barry Bonds is MLB’s all-time home run king. Last one; Roger Clemens has won more games than any right-handed pitcher not named Greg Maddux since World War II.

Whether you like the man or not, Rose’s contribution to the game is unmistakable. In fact, it is nearly criminal to not enshrine him in the game’s most prestigious and hallowed of institutions. The man exemplifies what the Hall of Fame stands for, and that is honoring and preserving the history of the game. What kind of message does it send to fans around the world if a guy who reached base safely more than any other person to ever play the game does not have a plaque? For that matter, how about the player who hit more homers than any other guy ever to put on a major league uniform? And can we really keep a guy with more hardware than any other pitcher in history out of Cooperstown as well?

This is crazy.

History is history, and because of that Rose is absolutely spot on here. Trying to keep out these men is saying that does not matter. Yes, Bonds and Clemens allegedly cheated; however, up until 2005, baseball turned a blind eye to it. If they really cared, much stricter disciplinary programs would have been in place well before 2007, and the Hall of Fame would not feature exhibits on both aforementioned players.

As for Rose, here is hoping commissioner-elect Rob Manfred will reinstate the man when he assumes office on January 25th. For now though, we can only wait.

H/T Sports Illustrated

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