Will Pete Rose Ever Enter the Hall - Or Has He Betrayed Trust

I’m going to just come out and say it – I’m a huge fan of Pete Rose the baseball player. However, I hate the liar that Pete Rose has become. 

The guy who was known as ‘Charlie Hustle’ played in Major League baseball for many years, set the record for most hits in a career and had so much energy and effort in every play, at bat or running the bases, that Pete Rose became a huge fan favorite and a virtual lock to enter Major League Baseball’s hall of fame.

But then something came up which virtually betrayed the trust he had worked so hard to earn – allegations that he bet on baseball while being involved in the sport. 

For those of us who have visited Las Vegas and specifically a Sports Book in Vegas, you’ll know that Baseball betting is extremely popular. From having the ability to choose future wagering on who’ll win the World Series, to having the ability to pick individual game winners, the Baseball gambling industry is huge. However, one of MLB’s bylaws states that ‘No Active Player, Executive or Coach involved with a Major League Baseball Franchise can actively bet on any baseball games’. 

This rule was created thanks in part to the infamous “Black Sox” scandal from the 1919 World Series where it was found that 8-players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of accepting bribes to impact the result of the World Series. Several of them admitted to throwing games, however one of them, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was never proven to be guilty – but was guilty in the public eye due to his association. 

This is where Pete Rose found himself after it was revealed that he bet the team he managed, The Cincinnati Reds to win a baseball game. Although he bet for his team, it was an illegal act based on MLB guidelines. For years, Pete Rose defended his honor and said that he NEVER bet on baseball in any way, shape or form. However, MLB officials felt the evidence was not in his favor and banned Rose from baseball for life. 

Pete Rose spent the better part of 20 years defending his innocence until a few years ago when he officially admitted that he did in fact bet on baseball games, hoping to earn the trust of the Baseball community and earn that ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame – for which based on his playing ability deserves to be honored. 

But, years of hiding the truth burned the trust of not only MLB officials, but millions of passionate fans who trusted him – including this writer. This method of trying to deceive the public is rampant today. Lance Armstrong has done it recently as did SSL Security giant Symantec, who made the decision to replace their popular VeriSign Checkmark with an inferior Norton Secured Seal which betrayed the trust of millions of VeriSign customers across the globe. 

The point here is that if somebody or a company makes a mistake, our society has been known to embrace them and allow them a second chance in life. But, if you continually try to hide the truth or spin it in your favor like Symantec did in August this year, the bottom line is that continues to break down that so important wall of trust. And when your name and legacy is based on trust that philosophy never results in a winning effort.