Wow.
Major League Baseball removed Pete Rose and other deceased players from MLB’s permanently ineligible list on Tuesday, an extraordinary twist to a saga that has gone on for more than three decades. The decision, announced by commissioner Rob Manfred in a letter to the Rose family’s attorney Jeffrey Lenkov, makes the sport’s all-time hit king eligible for election to the Hall of Fame.
Rose, who died from a heart condition last September at 83, was placed on MLB’s permanently ineligible list in 1989 for gambling on his team, the Cincinnati Reds, while he managed them. Rose, who collected a record 4,256 hits, has never been considered for the Hall of Fame because of a 1991 rule change that barred players on the ineligible list from election.
According to a statement from Major League Baseball, in a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, “In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others. In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”
Manfred met in December with Lenkov, who represented Rose until his death, and Rose’s daughter, Fawn, to discuss the possibility of reinstatement. Rose’s family then filed a formal petition for reinstatement on Jan. 8, in hopes of a posthumous induction to the Hall of Fame.
Manfred’s ruling Tuesday also applies to 16 other deceased individuals, including Shoeless Joe Jackson.
[…]
Rose had long been a presence on induction weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., selling his autograph at a memorabilia shop on Main Street for years, including in 2024. Artifacts of his career are also displayed in the museum, and the library contains voluminous material and documents related to his legacy.
But Rose understood that he would never get the glory of the induction ceremony that comes with a spot in the hallowed plaque gallery.
“I’ve come to the conclusion – I hope I’m wrong – that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die,’” Rose said 10 days before his death in an interview with John Condit, a sportscaster in Dayton, Ohio. “Which I totally disagree with, because the Hall of Fame is for two reasons: your fans and your family. That’s what the Hall of Fame is for. Your fans and your family. And it’s for your family if you’re here. It’s for your fans if you’re here. Not if you’re 10 feet under.”
Players are initially voted on by a group of 400 or so baseball writers, but that window closes 15 years after the player’s final game. Players not elected by the writers are considered by a 16-person committee (with Hall of Famers, front-office members and historians) on a rotating basis, with candidates grouped from different eras.
“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,” Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement Tuesday. “Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered. The Historical Overview Committee will develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee – which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 – to vote on when it meets next in December 2027.”
If he makes it onto that ballot, Rose would need 12 of 16 votes to be enshrined.
Before I say anything about this, let me quote Jay Jaffe, who I’m sure is writing about this for Fangraphs:
This is some fucking bullshit
— Jay Jaffe (@jayjaffe.bsky.social) May 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
He's still dead, and he died without being honored as a Hall of Famer, the thing he wanted most out of life. He didn't win, he lost.
— Jay Jaffe (@jayjaffe.bsky.social) May 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Same, Jay, same.
The last any of us discussed this in earnest was nearly a decade ago. But between Rose’s death and a certain orange goon’s unhinged posts about him, the subject had come up again, and Commissioner Manfred was known to be thinking about this. Now we know what he thought. Here’s the MLB statement, which includes the names of the 16 other unbanned players, who look to me mostly like members of the 1919 Black Sox. I guess once you open the door for Rose, you can’t keep it closed on them.
The real issue here is if – more likely when – Rose gets into the Hall of Fame. There was a time when I would have accepted a posthumous enshrinement for Rose, who obviously belongs on a purely baseball basis. Shoeless Joe Jackson would have gone in as well, and that too would have been fine. It’s just that right to the end, the one thing this bastard could never ever do was just say something like “yeah, I screwed up, what I did was wrong, I apologize”. Just doing that much almost certainly would have been enough to get him unbanned while he was alive, which is surely what he really wanted. I can sort of see what Commissioner Manfred is doing here, even as my own definition of “permanent” apparently comes from a different dictionary. I just don’t see how this is in any way satisfying to anyone who isn’t a Rose dead ender.
But here we are. Maybe he won’t be on the next bus to Cooperstown – I will keep that hope alive for now – but he is once again in the club. I don’t like it, I would not have done it if I were Commissioner, and I definitely won’t like it if Rose does eventually get enshrined. I just hope that when that does happen, his plaque tells the whole truth about him. ESPN and CBS Sports have more.
So…. was Pete betting on his Team to win… or was Pete betting on his team to lose ?
Huge ethical difference between the two…
If being an asshole in your off-field life disqualifies you from a HOF slot, then we’re going to need take another hard look at who’s already in there.
Actually nope. You’re talking about the difference between 1x the dose of poison needed to kill you, and 5x the dose.
A few facts: #1: Sports like baseball rely on the fans buying into the belief that the outcome of a game is not predetermined. Shatter that trust, and the game dies.
#2: Any form of gambling is rigged in favor of the house. People who get hooked on gambling can and do end up with massive debts.
#3: There’s plenty of shady business going on in gambling, even when it’s legal (see the recent TX lottery issue with some people buying up practically all the possible number combinations).
So let’s say that Pete always bet on his team to win, but he’s underwater big time with debts to his bookies. That’s when he’s vulnerable to someone offering to erase that debt, in exchange for a little favor, I.e. rigging a game.. If he’s a player, it’s all to easy to strike out looking or “muff” a play in the field at a crucial time. As a manager, how you deal with player substitutions absolutely can alter the outcome of a game.
If you don’t want to be pro wrestling, you must avoid even the appearance of impropriety. A player/ manger with gambling debts as the exact opposite of that.
Rose should still be banned. What a revolting sellout by MLB.