Charlie Hustle's War

Hank Aaron publicly stated recently that Pete Rose should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Although Aaron's intentions seemed to be self-motivated--shifting the focus to drug-users, like Barry Bonds, who broke his record--this is an opinion I have always held. And although my opinion means nothing, I'm surprised nothing has been done about it yet. 

I realize that Pete Rose disrespected the game by betting on it, and I even concede that he can be a liar and a prima donna (see Jim Gray interview). However, he didn't do any of that on the field. Rose was charged with gambling on baseball as a manager. Seeing as he would be inducted as a player and not a manager, those actions are irrelevant. The Hall of Fame honors (or at least should) players who respect the game on the field and perform at a much higher level than those around them. As far as I know, Rose respected the game more than any player during his playing days. The man was famous for sprinting out walks, and most players today don't care enough to run out ground balls. Nothing he did after retirement can erase that. As for his numbers, I don't think anyone can argue his qualification (most career hits, at-bats, and games played, to name a few). 

In my opinion, if the Hall of Fame starts accepting players who knowingly used banned substances, it seems odd that you would keep out a guy who played the game clean and with a fervor like no one else, even with his problems in later years. 

Other people who have gotten shafted by Major League Baseball:

(I'd like to preface this list by saying that I thoroughly enjoy the MLB and respect it more than the other two major U.S. sports markets. These are just a few things I find perplexing and/or disappointing)

1. Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver- Neither threw any games nor were provably involved in the fix (if you disagree with me about Jackson, ask me about it).

2. Major league teams- It's a shame that home-field advantage is determined by something as capricious as the All-Star game. Besides, it's supposed to be a fun, carefree event. Solution: whichever league wins interleague play gets home field advantage. 

3. Major league players- It's a shame that little-known major-leaguers who put up break-out numbers miss out on the opportunity to start in the All-Star game because uninformed fans have the power to vote in undeserving Yankees players and Cal Ripken Jr. past his prime. Solution: Allow league managers to select everything. Right now it isn't the fan's game, it's the East Coast fans' game.

4. Steve Bartman- This isn't necessarily MLB's fault. Although Bartman's name and personal information leaked on MLB message boards, the dangerously belligerent, whiny fans from the North Side would have found a way to make his life hell either way. Nonetheless, this incident--in my opinion--goes down as one of the saddest in baseball in recent years. 

5. Barry Bonds- This is just a joke. He's a douche bag.