Fansided

Pete Rose faces uphill battle for reinstatement

By Nathaniel Reeves

Apr 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A Cincinnati Reds fan holds up a sign for Pete Rose (not pictured) birthday during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A Cincinnati Reds fan holds up a sign for Pete Rose (not pictured) birthday during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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New baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is considering reinstating Pete Rose, but it’s far from a guarantee.

Ever since commissioner Rob Manfred assumed office in January, the odds of Pete Rose getting reinstated to baseball have been significantly higher.

Rose, banned for life for betting on baseball in 1989, has patiently been waiting for reinstatement for over two decades. That simply wasn’t going to happen during the length tenure of Bud Selig.

Manfred has at least been a little more progressive on issues, including blackout rules and pace of play. The new commissioner has been reading over documents and carefully weighing a decision regarding Rose, which is at least a step in the right direction.

Combine that with the fact that Rose has been allowed to participate in All-Star Game festivities and was recently hired as an analyst for Fox Sports, and the chances of his reinstatement have not been higher in quite some time.

Still, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that several people close to the commissioner believe Rose faces an uphill battle. Some of Heyman’s sources even indicate they would be “shocked” if Rose is reinstated.

As Heyman notes, Manfred was very close with Selig and may not want to go against the former commissioner so soon into his own tenure. Baseball is also trying to distance itself from any controversy so soon after the steroid era and has been very slow to change on such issues in the past.

While a decision either way would be met with some opposition, hopefully Manfred carves out his own legacy and does the right thing. Rose has more than paid his dues and deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen.

Reinstating Rose at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati would be a great situation for both sides. Rose should still be more optimistic than in years past, but he still might have to wait even longer.

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