It’s probably safe to say that banned (and disgruntled) superstar Pete Rose is glad that Bud Selig is no longer the commissioner of Major League Baseball. But then, he undoubtedly felt the same when Fay Vincent replaced Bart Giamatti and when Selig replaced Vincent.

Why? Well, the answer to this is blatantly obvious; Rose is hoping that this new MLB Commissioner – Rob Manfred Jr. – will reinstate him so that he can finally be considered for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

It is impossible to argue that Rose’s accomplishments as a player not only qualify him for enshrinement into the sacred Halls of Cooperstown but put him right up there with the absolute greatest to have ever played the game. Unfortunately, it’s also impossible to argue that his decade and a half long deceit about betting on baseball warranted his lifetime ban from baseball by Giamatti and subsequently upheld by Vincent and Selig.

It is impossible to dispute that Pete Rose is among the very best to have ever played the game – perhaps even the best. (Photo credit – George Widman)

Ironically, Rose (through his attorney) agreed to a voluntary lifetime ban from baseball on August 24, 1989 with the following stipulations:

• Major League Baseball would make no finding of fact regarding gambling allegations and cease their investigation;
• Pete Rose was neither admitting or denying the charges; and
• Pete Rose could apply for reinstatement after one year.

Little did Rose know at the time that Giamatti – who would die suddenly of a massive heart attack only eight days later – nor his successors Vincent and Selig had no intention of ever reinstating baseball’s all-time hits leader. And while Rose and his attorney may have thought that his ‘voluntary lifetime ban’ was not an admission of guilt, why in the world would he have done so if it were not? Although that is obviously a rhetorical question and perhaps subject to debate, with it came an agreement from Giamatti and MLB that any further investigations into Rose’s improprieties – which, in all likelihood, would have uncovered even more wrongdoings – would be terminated.

Although there are many who still strongly believe that Rose should only be admitted into the Hall of Fame with a purchased ticket, there are even more who believe that had he ‘come clean’ right from the get-go, he would already have a plaque on the wall at 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY. In other words, it is Rose himself who prolonged his 26-year (and counting) ban from baseball (and subsequent induction into the Hall of Fame) by continuing to lie about it for over 15 years.

While Rose’s ‘I’m sorry’ ball may be ‘haha’ funny, you can bet (no pun intended) that it’s no laughing matter for new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. (Image courtesy of bidami.com)

The thing to remember is that it is not Major League Baseball who has kept Rose out of the Hall of Fame but rather the Hall itself and the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). They have sole jurisdiction over this privately-owned publicly-accessible museum in which the Hall of Fame is part of. What this means is that even if – and it’s a big if – new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Jr. agrees to reinstate Rose, he must still be voted into the Hall of Fame which, quite frankly, would probably happen posthaste. But this in and of itself poses an entirely new set of problems for the troubled Rose.

Rose’s playing career ended on August 17, 1986, which technically made him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration in 1991. But because he was banned for life in 1989 while a manager, he never made the five-year criteria which has been in place since the Hall of Fame was founded in 1936. And since he is still banned as of this writing, he is well past the original 15 years of eligibility (which was recently reduced to 10 years). As such, and even if Manfred does go against the grain of his predecessors and does reinstate Rose, the only way that Rose makes it in is via the Golden Era Committee (aka: the Veterans Committee). That said, if Manfred does reinstate Pete Rose, the Golden Era Committee would be hard-pressed not to vote Rose into the Hall of Fame the first time that his name appeared on the Golden Era ballot.

Although there are some who feel that Rose’s Hall of Fame eligibility clock should have stopped the moment that he was banned in 1989 (thus allowing him to be placed on the BBWAA’s ballot for 10 full years if he is reinstated), doing so would setting a very dangerous precedent. It would allow the BBWAA to change their own 79-year-old rules of eligibility at will. And if this were to occur, who’s next – Barry Bonds? Roger Clemens? Mark McGwire? Sammy Sosa? The point is, making an exception for one guy could lead to making exceptions for others in the future; here again, a very dangerous precedent.

That being said, the only logical way for Rose to be given baseball immortality would, again, be through the Golden Era Committee – which will only happen if Manfred does, in fact, reinstate Pete Rose.

Rob Manfred will undoubtedly have to make some tough calls as MLB’s new commissioner, but it could be his decision regarding Pete Rose that defines his legacy. (Photo credit – Patrick McDermott)

One thing’s for certain – this is going to get real interesting in the coming months or perhaps even years, and could very well define Rob Manfred’s legacy as Major League Baseball’s 10th Commissioner.