A Grip on Sports: Pete Rose’s lifetime ban for betting on baseball lasted longer than it should have, though it was appropriately rectified Tuesday

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Pete Rose in baseball’s Hall of Fame? It’s not a longshot any more.

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• Let us travel back more than 50 years ago. To the heyday of Sparky Anderson’s Big Red Machine. A lineup of stars. Johnny Bench. Joe Morgan. Tony Perez. Hall of Fame manager. Hall of Fame players.

The machine’s engine? That would be one Peter Edward Rose. Charlie Hustle. The guy who would set the table one moment and then run through a brick wall to destroy all the glassware the next.

The enigma of enigmas in baseball over decades. And one of my heroes.

Rose didn’t seem to have the natural talent of the others. He seemed to be all energy and will and desire and little else. A guy who ran at 5,000 rpms all the time, including after a base on balls. He battled at the plate. Battled ground balls. Battled fans. Overpowered them all in his relentless desire for two things: Be the greatest hitter of all time and the greatest winner.

He was, quite simply, what teenaged me wanted to be.

Here I was, at 15, being cited as the most valuable player in a regional Babe Ruth tournament. The stadium announcer took note of my filthy uniform, the inordinate number of singles I hit, my never-ending motor and likened me to Rose.

It may have been the crowning achievement of my baseball career.

That acknowledgement has stayed with me since, a touchstone guiding one lesson that informed my life and career. Heroes, even the ones whose poster adorned a teenager’s wall, are just people. With as many failings as anyone.

Pete Rose proved that over and over.

His biggest failing? Addiction. He was an adrenaline junkie. As a player, he supplied it. As a former player, he craved it. And that craving led him down a path that, ultimately, took baseball away from him. In every way.

Rose broke baseball’s cardinal rule. He bet on games while managing the Reds. After a long investigation in 1989, then commissioner Bart Giamatti handed Rose a lifetime ban from the game. Severed Rose’s connection to his first (and maybe only) true love.

For the rest of his life Rose floated in baseball’s purgatory, on the periphery but no longer part of it. And, despite an MLB-record 4,256 hits, no longer a Hall of Fame shoo-in. The Hall decided in 1991 those banned from the game cannot appear on the ballot sent to baseball’s writers. It was aimed at Rose, of course.

And he railed against it. Set up shop in Cooperstown concurrent to the induction ceremonies and sold his autograph. Denied he did anything wrong. Until 2004, when he admitted he bet on baseball while Cincinnati’s manager. Bet on his team. But still he professed no guilt because he didn’t bet against the Reds.

It always seemed Rose was as good at self-denial as he was on going from first to third on a base hit.

Was Rose’s punishment extreme? Not if you understand the history of the game. In 1919 gamblers fixed the World Series, finding willing accomplices in a group of underpaid White Sox players. The scandal threatened the game’s future just when it was on the cusp of becoming America’s pastime. The reaction was severe. Misguided in some respects. And eternal. Bet on the game, be banned for life. Everyone involved in the game from then on knew the rules. Even Rose.

A lifetime ban does have an end date, however. For Rose, it was Sept. 30, 2024. The ban should have been lifted the day he died. It wasn’t. It was still in place Tuesday, when Giamatti’s commissioner descendant, Rob Manfred, lifted it. And also lifted bans on other long-dead sinners, including the Black Sox participants. It was a just decision, albeit a little late. Maybe the most competent one Manfred has made in his pockmarked, decade-long tenure leading the professional game.

Lifting the ban means Rose is eligible for the one honor he craved the most. He can be voted into the Hall. His eligibility, and that of others, including the Black Sox participants, most notably “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, was confirmed Tuesday by Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark.

The Hall’s Historical Overview Committee, charged with judging players who made a major impact prior to 1980 – a criteria Rose meets – will see his name on the 2027 ballot.

We still see Rose’s image from that early 1970s’ poster. He is flying through the air toward third base, arms extended, helmet long gone, uniform painted with red clay. He’s about to finish another in a lifetime of sprints. With a face plant.

It was a face plant of another type that changed the rest of his life. And finally has been put to rest.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner examines a loophole of sorts in the House settlement. In a Mercury News column, Wilner looks at how a section of the settlement concerning NIL supplied by publicly traded companies could help schools such as Oregon, with its long-time connection to Nike. … John Canzano dips into youth sports for his Tuesday column. … The regents had some tough questions about being in the Big Ten for UCLA’s athletic director. … Boise State’s opening game will be televised nationally. On an odd day at an odd time. … In basketball news, the Colorado women added another transfer. … Utah will meet defending NCAA champ UConn in a nonconference battle. The Utes also added a former Montana player as an assistant coach. … USC’s men added a transfer from Auburn. … The newest Arizona assistant has paid his dues. … San Diego State is using the offseason to build better physiques among its freshmen. … Utah State officially added another transfer. … Finally, ESPN revealed how much its new streaming service will cost. Being that I already spend quite a bit on the ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ bundle, it won’t be a huge jump for me. Though I may finally spring for the commercial-free option.

Gonzaga: Recruiting never stops. Heck, it hardly slows down. This weekend college coaches will descend on grassroots tournaments all over the country to evaluate high school players. The GU coaches will be out and about as well. And, as Theo Lawson writes today, preparing for visits from two of the better 2026 recruits. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Santa Clara just missed the NCAA softball tournament last year. Not this one.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Sacramento State’s new quarterback is young but already well traveled. … The Portland State men’s basketball team added a sixth transfer to what will be a pretty new roster.

Preps: Jim Meehan finishes up his coverage of the District 6 golf tournaments with this story. … Cheryl Nichols has this roundup of Tuesday’s baseball and softball playoffs.

Chiefs: Medicine Hat’s Gavin McKenna is the best player in the WHL. The NHL’s top draft pick. A scorer without peer. He didn’t play Tuesday night in the Arena, as the Tigers and Spokane met in the third game of their best-of-seven series. Advantage Spokane? One would think. But that would have been wrong. As Dave Nichols tells us, Medicine Hat rolled from the opening puck drop and routed the Chiefs 6-0. … Tyler Tjomsland does his reporting with a camera and put together this photo gallery. … Dan Thompson chips in with this story on how a trio of the 2008 Memorial Cup champion Spokane team spent their Tuesday night. They watched the game, of course.  

Indians: Somehow Dave also kept up with Spokane’s road game in Eugene. The Indians rode great pitching and a couple of home runs to a 3-1 victory.

Zephyr: Spokane hit the road again, playing last night in Washington, D.C., where the Zephyr posted a 2-1 win over the D.C. Power.

Mariners: Losing a fifth-consecutive game Tuesday would have been a killer for the M’s, especially considering how well they played for eight innings and how the visiting Yankees were handed the tying run in the ninth. But J.P. Crawford came through in the 11th and Seattle broke its four-game slide with a 2-1 victory. … Who would be the No. 1 pick in a fan draft of Seattle sports stars? Cal Raleigh has to be the choice, right? … Logan Gilbert threw yesterday. Threw hard. He felt pretty good. … The offense is one of baseball’s biggest surprises. 

Sounders: Seattle is hot. But a big test awaits in L.A. tonight. LAFC.

Sonics: After we get to the most-recent story by Tim Booth, who is an expert on the chances of the franchise returning through expansion, we wanted to pass along our first thought yesterday when we read Paul Allen’s estate was finally putting the Trail Blazers up for sale. Could someone in Seattle buy them and move the team to Climate Pledge Arena? Maybe. But we certainly hope not, for a variety of reasons. The most important? After spending years railing against Oklahoma City for stealing the Sonics, what fan could support doing the same to another city? Even Portland? … John Canzano wants to know whether or not Phil Knight will make another offer for the Blazers.

Seahawks: In a related note, Allen’s estate has no plans yet to sell the Hawks. … The schedule will be released today. Tuesday, the Hawks’ fans learned there would not be an international game in 2025. … They also learned, however, it will be harder this season to re-sell their tickets to out-of-town fans. … Another free agent came for a visit.

Golf: The PGA Tournament tees off tomorrow at Quail Hollow in North Carolina. Who are the betting favorites? My favorite? Tommy Fleetwood. It’s time for his first major.  

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• If I had a Hall of Fame vote, I would vote for two of the formally suspended players: Jackson without any hesitation and Rose while holding my nose. The evidence uncovered through the years showed Jackson was not a part of the conspiracy. He was duped. And his career stats were good enough for Hall of Fame entry. As for Rose, after doing my due diligence over the years, I’m still not convinced he didn’t make managerial decisions with his bets in mind, decisions that held the possibility of hurting his team down the road. Still, the ban is over. Rose’s playing career accomplishments are HOF worthy. Until later …