Rose Could Preach Baseball In Return For Enshrinement

Golf has Casey Martin, the NBA has Latrell Sprewell and women’s basketball has Nykesha Sales.

But when it comes to continuing controversies, baseball has them all beat: as in, what to do with Pete Rose?

On one hand …

Rose knew his lifetime ban prohibited him from speaking to Pete Jr. and the rest of the Cincinnati minor-leaguers a few days ago. He did it anyway, and that will probably cost the Reds a fine of $25,000 or so.

Rose also knows - or should suspect - that baseball has no intention of reinstating him. Not now, and maybe not ever.

Acting commissioner Bud Selig and the executive council have made no attempt to rule on Rose’s application for reinstatement, and a formal decision may not be made until after the World Series.

Too many executives are certain the late A. Bartlett Giamatti was right when he got Rose to agree to the ban in 1989. And they are equally convinced Rose has not done much to change his ways that originally led to a gambling investigation.

Rose’s little speech in Sarasota, Fla., only gave them a solid reason to vote against him and keep the career hits leader out of the Hall of Fame.

On the other hand …

At a time when baseball still needs to improve its image, there is no one who talks more passionately about the game than ol’ Pete.

Cal Ripken, Greg Maddux and Tony Gwynn may be model citizens, but they’re not cheerleaders. Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and Albert Belle, meanwhile, find reasons to complain.

Rose, though, never stops talking about ball and those around him never tire of listening. No surprise, he drew a loud ovation from those Reds minor-leaguers after telling them: “Always expect to win. Don’t be like the Cubs. You know what God told the Cubs, don’t you? ‘Don’t do anything until I get back.”’

Rose is right when he says baseball would have welcomed him back had he been a drug offender, rather than a betting man. He has never admitted to betting on his sport - some believe him, many do not.

But it’s going on nine years now, and surely a place can be made for Rose to do some good. Perhaps it’s time to amend his penalty: Prohibit him from managing again, if that’s what people want, but allow him into the Hall.

And then impose this lifetime sentence - make him spend the rest of his days preaching baseball, a roving ambassador of the game that gave him a second chance.

Sutton place

One of the most charming aspects of Dodgertown, the spring-training home of the Dodgers for 50 years in Vero Beach, Fla., is the custom of naming small streets at the complex for the team’s Hall of Famers.

A week ago, it was time to dedicate Don Sutton Square.

“The last two days have been the best days of my life,” Sutton told Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley during ceremonies. “I’m sure there will be some people more deserving, but no one will be more grateful.”

In royal condition

Perhaps the reason the Kansas City Royals entered Friday at 6-7 - battling the Marlins, Twins and Expos for the worst record in the Grapefruit League - is because they’re just bad. But perhaps it is because they’re bad and tired, too.

Manager Tony Muser, a former Marine, requires his charges to appear for conditioning work at 8:45 a.m., regardless of whether they’re playing in the game 4 hours later. It’s all part of his master plan to be the best-conditioned team in the American League.

“We work very hard in conditioning. For me, it’s a big part of it,” the former Spokane Indians first baseman said. “When you come in and do your conditioning at 8:45 in the morning at a major-league camp, I don’t think it’s ever been done before. You’re asking guys to put out and give 100 percent at 8:45 in the morning, which means, maybe at 1:05 they’re a little bit gassed.

“I understand that. I explained to them that if you have a bad day because you’re physically drained, I’ll take the blame. Because I know, sooner or later, we’re going to get stronger. And it’s going to last longer. We want to be in better shape than anyone else in the American League at the All-Star break.”

Thief hits Marlins

Florida Marlins manager Jim Leyland was robbed of nearly $3,000 cash when his wallet was stolen from his office at Space Coast Stadium, the team’s spring-training home, in Melbourne, Fla.

Also stolen from an adjacent room was a wallet belonging to Fredi Gonzalez, manager of the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. His wallet contained almost $1,000.

The wallets, taken Friday morning, were later found in a bathroom at a nearby motel. They contained large amounts of cash because meal money had just been distributed to team employees.