(Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pete Rose) Baseball needs damage control. Just when you thought the whole Arod frenzy was bad enough today we are greeted with Miguel Tejada being charged with lying to Congress about steriod use in baseball. Not only that, if convicted he faces up to a year in prison. Can commissioner Bud Selig do anything to make the media and fans forget all this? Absolutely not.
He can provide a nice little distraction though to make the nearly 3 months to opening day a little less stressful on Major League Baseball. What is it, you ask? Simple reinstate Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Think about it Bud. Hold a press conference announcing that in light of the recent steriod problem in the game, you’ve made the decision to reinstate two of the best players in the history of the game. The decision on Shoeloess Joe should be an easy one. It should have been a decision made long ago. Banned from baseball for allegedly taking part in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, when members of the team participated in throwing the World Series, his performance clearly indicates his innocence. In the World Series his .375 batting average and 12 hits were the most from either team.
Pete Rose, on the other hand, is no angel. Banned for life for gambling on the game, Rose has admitted his mistake and after years of denial finally come clean. Yes, he says he did bet on his own team but he never once threw a game because he never once bet on his team to lose. Rose was a fiercely competitive player and he showed it on the field everyday. He played the game hard and he played the game to win. Evident by his three World Series Rings. In this steriod era that we are now in Rose’s statistical achievements are his greatest support for reinstatement. He remains the all time leader in hits with 4,256 and games played with 3,562. Also included in his resume are a Rookie of the Year award, 3 Batting Titles, 2 Gold Gloves, one MVP award, and 17 All-Star appearances.
We are in a time of the game where every player is guilty by association. Some writers are proclaiming to never vote a player from this era into the Hall of Fame. I think its time for Mr. Selig to reinstate Rose and Jackson and announce both of their names will appear on the next Hall of Fame ballot. Baseball can no longer keep two of its all time greats out of the Hall, when the greats of today have already confessed or been accused of cheating on the field. Nothing will make the fans forget the steriods and the lies but opening baseballs doors to Rose and Jackson , while long overdue, certainly will be a nice distraction.
-Robb Lennahan
He can provide a nice little distraction though to make the nearly 3 months to opening day a little less stressful on Major League Baseball. What is it, you ask? Simple reinstate Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Think about it Bud. Hold a press conference announcing that in light of the recent steriod problem in the game, you’ve made the decision to reinstate two of the best players in the history of the game. The decision on Shoeloess Joe should be an easy one. It should have been a decision made long ago. Banned from baseball for allegedly taking part in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, when members of the team participated in throwing the World Series, his performance clearly indicates his innocence. In the World Series his .375 batting average and 12 hits were the most from either team.
Pete Rose, on the other hand, is no angel. Banned for life for gambling on the game, Rose has admitted his mistake and after years of denial finally come clean. Yes, he says he did bet on his own team but he never once threw a game because he never once bet on his team to lose. Rose was a fiercely competitive player and he showed it on the field everyday. He played the game hard and he played the game to win. Evident by his three World Series Rings. In this steriod era that we are now in Rose’s statistical achievements are his greatest support for reinstatement. He remains the all time leader in hits with 4,256 and games played with 3,562. Also included in his resume are a Rookie of the Year award, 3 Batting Titles, 2 Gold Gloves, one MVP award, and 17 All-Star appearances.
We are in a time of the game where every player is guilty by association. Some writers are proclaiming to never vote a player from this era into the Hall of Fame. I think its time for Mr. Selig to reinstate Rose and Jackson and announce both of their names will appear on the next Hall of Fame ballot. Baseball can no longer keep two of its all time greats out of the Hall, when the greats of today have already confessed or been accused of cheating on the field. Nothing will make the fans forget the steriods and the lies but opening baseballs doors to Rose and Jackson , while long overdue, certainly will be a nice distraction.
-Robb Lennahan
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