Fuck 'im. He knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong, he knew it went to the core of the game, and he did it anyway because he thought he was too big and important to be caught or punished.

That's coz he's FAMOUS.

There are a lot of people who remember him as "Charlie Hustle", running out a base-on-balls, always playing the game with such amazing intensity, and always placing his stamp on any game he was involved in.

I understand people thinking he belongs in Cooperstown. I even have moments when I think back to being 9 years old and watching him play, and that part of me wants to see him there, too.

But when I think about what he did to hurt the game... God, I just don't know.

I find the history, the games that got thrown, the oddball
characters in many sports fascinating.

Wasn't it Pete Rose who walked from Pittsburg back to Philly
because he lost some bet ?

That's interest for me ;-)

First off, it wasn't until Pete was about to become eligible for the Hall of Fame (back in 1990 or 1991) that the Hall of Fame (which is not a part of Major League Baseball, and not held to its rules and punishments) passed the by-law making those on the ineligible list also ineligible for Hall induction. Why "Shoeless" Joe never got in is beyond me. After all, if you're making the Hall about character, Charles Comiskey, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Kennesaw Mountain Landis should be removed from the Hall immediately.

Also, I'm of the belief that use of drugs; be it cocaine, marijuana or anabolic steroids; does more harm to the integrity of the game than betting on your team to win. Yet people like Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry have been "banned" numerous times, only to come back, and have their comebacks become the focus of a great deal of attention. What's more, if the writers felt him deserving, Doc Gooden could end up in the Hall of Fame, but not Pete? What's the moral message in that???

And furthermore, there are some people I've heard state that people like Mark McGwire don't belong in the Hall because his use of androstendione "tainted" his numbers, and that this harms the integrity of the game.

So, where do we draw the line? The Hall of Fame isn't about character. It never was, and it never should be. It's about on-the-field accomplishments, and Pete Rose is more worthy that about 90% of the players in there.