Philadelphia Phillies’ legend Pete Rose is one of the most polarizing names in the history of sports. He is Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256, a mark that may never be broken. He’s also not in the Hall of Fame despite holding one of the league’s most important records.
Rose is not in Cooperstown because he bet on baseball. He placed wagers on the Cincinnati Reds 52 times, while he was managing the team. He was placed on baseball’s ineligibility list in 1989, and has since become one of the sports most talked about former stars.
Rose passed away on September 30, 2024.
President Donald Trump recently took to social media to state that he intends to pardon Rose. The President also said the former Phillies and Reds icon belongs in the Hall of Fame. That statement has reinvigorated the debate as to whether or not the iconic “Charlie Hustle” belongs in Cooperstown.
Sean Casey is a former three-time all star that enjoyed a 12-year Big League career, finishing with a .302 lifetime average. He’s also in the Reds’ Hall of Fame, just like Rose. He discussed President Trump’s statement as well as his own thoughts on the all-time hit leader on his “Mayor’s Office” podcast.
Casey point blank said of the hit king’s place in Cooperstown, “Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame for what he did on the baseball field as a player.”
Casey went on talk about how the all-time hits leader would hold court at Reds’ functions, telling stories. According to Casey, the guys loved him.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t change what happened, but it may be time to reevaluate this decades-long debate.
Sports betting is in a radically different place than it was back in the 1980s. Professional sports leagues have business partnerships with sports betting platforms today.
In 2023 Major League Baseball announced that FanDuel was the league’s official sports betting partner. The subject of betting on baseball is a much different discussion than it used to be.
In the NFL, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers bet on football in 2023, which included wagers on his own team. He was suspended indefinitely at the time, but was later reinstated. If a middling player like Rodgers was allowed to play in the NFL after betting on his own team, it makes it tougher to maintain a hardline stance on “Charlie Hustle.”
No one condones what Rose did, not even the President, but the hit king never bet against his own team, only ever on them to win. Many would argue that he paid the price for his mistakes long ago.
Casey once asked Rose if he thinks he’ll ever get in the Hall of Fame, to which the all-time hits leader said “When I’m dead Case, they’ll look at it again. But not till I’m gone.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition signed by Rose’s family in January to reinstate the hit king. Even if Manfred reinstates the all-time hits leader, that doesn’t mean he’ll end up in the Hall of Fame, but it’s a start.