Kuzul

We’ve all heard of Roger Clemens and Manny Ramirez and their “alleged” flirtation with performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). We know about Andy Pettitte (just seems like an inordinate amount of t’s in his name), and his admitted drug abuse in order to get a leg up on the competition in Major League Baseball.

Alex Rodriguez has been called “A-Roid” more times in a season than there are pennies in his ridiculously bloated contract. PEDs were, and probably will continue to be, a big problem in the big leagues.

With that in mind, I have researched a few excuses provided by the rule-breaking players and here are a few that caught my attention.

Unfortunately, there are plenty more cheaters and excuses out there, so please share them with me in the comments section.

Also, let me know your thoughts on PEDs in the MLB.

Do you think the game should just allow them? Would it be a better game for the fans if the players could legally juice? Should it be their choice since it’s their body? Let me know. Thanks.

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Earlier this week, I saw a list of the top 25 baseball quotes of all time. Not one of them has taken place since the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run battle of 1998.

It got me to thinking that as wonderful as that chase to Roger Maris’ record was, it seems to have done more harm than good.

When I became a baseball fan, it was not because of the home runs, diving catches or plays at the plate. I saw grown men playing the game competitively, yet with the same enthusiasm and revelry as a 10-year-old at recess.

Today, the players are still acting like 10-year-olds. The difference is that now they’re acting like the 10-year-old who’s being very careful that he does not get grounded. It’s like all the fun has been sucked out of the game.

Where are the characters that used to make baseball special? As long as Manny Ramirez is taking bathroom breaks behind the Green Monster, they are not extinct—but they are an endangered species.

If Alex Rodriguez approaches the all-time home run record, you can bet his comments about Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron will be very respectful, very careful…and very boring. In other words, he’ll be the complete opposite of Rickey Henderson. After he broke Lou Brock’s career stolen base record, he stood right beside him and announced to the crowd that he was the greatest of all time.

If the St. Louis Cardinals make it to the World Series, Albert Pujols will very likely be a big part of the reason why. From what I know about Albert, he’s a humble, quality player and human being. If he’s asked about his role on the team, he will predictably deflect the credit from himself and onto his teammates.

Where is this generation’s Reggie Jackson—the colourful, confident superstar who is not afraid to stand up and state that he is the straw that stirs the drink?

Who or what is the reason for this? For starters, how about Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens? As the steroid scandals in baseball have increased, the fun surrounding the game has decreased. Since the game has been tainted by these cheaters, players’ behaviours for the most part have gone from cordial to corporate. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Since the Sosa-McGwire home run chase that captured everyone’s attention, have you seen someone like Lenny Randle, on his hands and knees along the third base line, blowing a ball foul? Where is the next entertaining player doing backflips like Ozzie Smith used to do? Can you imagine someone today celebrating his 100th career home run like Jimmy Piersall did when he ran the bases backward?

I love the sport of baseball. Since I can still write those words after watching my Mariners last year, I truly believe I always will. But a part of it—perhaps its most endearing part—is being killed by the tainted legacies of the likes of Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro.   

In this age where baseball can be viewed on HDTV, HGH has made it duller than ever. 

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Dear Barry,

I can now say it with a clear conscience: you’re a BUM, Mr. Bonds. I know, I know, you’ll probably tell me that there’s been no conviction yet and that the perjury/obstruction charges you now face are STILL bogus; after all, you’re Barry Lamar Bonds—home run king, big-shot.

You surmised that constant denial would make the steroid allegations go away; after all, the feds had never played “hardball” with a sports figure as big as you. I hate to break the news to you, Barry: facing a federal indictment is just a tad tougher than facing those big league pitchers whose ERAs you helped to inflate.

You took for granted that the American public’s thirst for heroes would simply allow you to cheat your way to legendary status, and you’d walk away unscathed. Well, you DID become a “legend,” Barry—I’ll give you that. But as the feds now tighten their grip, was it really worth it?

C’mon, Barry, were we NOT supposed to notice? Physically, your head AND body ballooned like current gas prices once the new millennium arrived. Your surliness multiplied, too, once people began to notice your physical appearance change from a lean, talented outfielder to a blown-up, chemically-changed freak.

Did you think that we’d ALL chalk that up to good nourishment, flaxseed oil, and working out just a “little” more than usual? Geez, Barry, you insulted SO many of us with your assumptions, the main one being that you mistakenly grouped tons of us outsiders with your clueless, inner-circle of supporters in terms of intelligence.

And were we NOT supposed to notice when your home run totals rose significantly after 2000—and simply chalk that up to an unknown phenomenon that renders better eyesight and reflexes after the age of 35? Shame on you, Barry.

Here’s what puzzles me, Barry: you were ALREADY well on your way to Cooperstown and immortality during the 90s—hitting tons of homers, driving in 100 runs every year and collecting Gold Gloves as if they were $100 Picasso masterpieces.

Why, Barry,WHY? WHY did you feel the need to go the illegal route and try to increase numbers that were ALREADY staggering? Tell me, Barry, was it the money? Did you think that you WOULDN’T become a rich man if you continued to play by the rules? Oh, now I think I know the real deal. I guess you wanted to be FILTHY rich and feed an ego that was bigger than San Francisco Bay.

And it surely seems that you were willing to do it at ANY cost, Barry—even so far as to have possibly used trenbolone, a steroid used to improve the muscle quality of cattle. I dunno, Barry, maybe when you brought your selfish, drug-induced freak show to cities throughout the league, fans should have yelled “MOOOO” instead of “BOOOO.”

You should have NEVER let it come to this, Barry; a few of us already KNEW there was a steroid problem in baseball even before the late Ken Caminiti was ridiculed as being “delusional” after bringing attention to it in that famed SI article. You could have come clean AWHILE ago and gone down in history as a player who bravely tried to clean up the sport.

Sure, the union would have hated you, Barry, but the American public would have embraced you. Remember one thing, Barry: Americans are a very forgiving bunch, but you surely went past the line when you insulted us along the way.

Shame on you, “Bar-roid” (thanks Steve Somers) for letting your former personal trainer, Greg Anderson, rot in the “big house” for more than a year while you bathed in accolades, kept the “denial machine” rolling, and partied it up along the lines of a fellow athlete-turned-criminal named Simpson.

I can only guess that your conscience exited your body at some point due to the influx of some strong, nasty substances, ones a bit stronger than just the “cream” and the “clear.”

Finally, you’re a BUM, Barry, for having sent the following message to youngsters throughout the land: It’s O.K. to compromise your body and break the rules because ‘roids rule; ‘roids will make you famous, rich, and help you do the extraordinary.

Therein lies your biggest crime, Mr. Bonds, the naive kids and fellow pro players out there who’ve followed suit simply “because Barry did it.” Speaking of kids, what about your OWN children, Barry? Will they be proud that their Dad made a mockery of the American pastime—that he cheated for some sick, egotistical reason that may someday bring THEM negative attention?

Barry, did it ever occur to you that your kids might need a terrific role model as THEY continue to mature, and NOT a Dad who soon may be playing left field for the prison team at Terminal Island? Tell me, Barry, seriously, will you someday tell your own kids that it’s O.K. to cheat, do drugs, and break the law? Please say no.

Don’t worry—you won’t do 30 years, Barry; we all must remember that you have no prior convictions. But your ego got in the way—and you’ll soon pay. You’re no home run king, “Bar-roid”, just the “Sultan of SQUAT” in my book.

Shame on you for tainting the game that I once LOVED (past tense). Perhaps the prison warden will have a sense of humor and put an asterisk on the back of your prison garb while you show your muscles off in front of adoring convicts. Just remember, Barry: it DIDN’T have to be this way. Shame on you.

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The sooner the mass public accepts the fact that steroids were ingrained into the fabric of baseball during the “Steroid Era,” the better.

There was no test for it. It was a part of the game.

Now every time someone hits a home run, eyebrows raise across the MLB and the same question runs through every expert’s mind: Is he juicing?

While steroid usage has certainly decreased dramatically in recent years, the success of these 25 guys make it pretty easy to assume that something was going on behind the scenes. Without further ado, here are the 25 most highly suspected juicers in baseball.

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It’s almost too easy to recall Rafael Palmeiro’s wagging finger at the Congressional trials in March 2005 over steroid use as he memorably said: “I have never used steroids. Period.”

That July it was announced he tested positive for steroids and was suspended 10 games.

Palmeiro still insists he was telling the truth, and said so in a phone interview with SI.com posted Wednesday, saying “I was telling the truth then, and I am telling the truth now.”

Similarly, in an interview with ESPN, Jeff Bagwell insisted he, too, was clean. Now, Bagwell had never tested positive but has been caught up in the rampant speculation that surrounds players who bulked up during this time.

Bagwell hit a total of only four home runs in the minor leagues—four—and yet went on to become a terrific slugger who also just happened to lift weights with Mark McGwire. He also played with Andy Pettitte and was coached by Rudy Jaramillo.

But no concrete evidence has been found regarding Bagwell and PEDS, and he is afraid the speculation could affect his ability to get into the Hall of Fame.

“I’m so sick and tired of all the steroids crap, it’s messed up my whole thinking on the subject. I hate to even use this word, but it’s become almost like a ‘buzz kill’ for me.

Now, I bring all this up in an effort to try and put the entire thing to rest, once and for all, as I, too, am sick and tired of the “steroids crap”. But the only way to effectively deal with it is to deal with it, instead of pretending it only existed in a vacuum.

Look, do I think that PED usage helped the performance of some players? You bet I do. But until MLB steps up and adopts some sort of directive…say, a policy that can be used as a guideline for Hall of Fame voters…this issue will never be settled properly and thus, will never, ever go away.

Furthermore, it will help to alleviate the questions surrounding career spikes that seem suspicious. For example, ESPN’s Keith Law recently tweeted sarcastically: “Hank Aaron had the best AB/HR rates of his career at ages: 39, 37, 35, 38, 28 and 36. Where’s the steroid suspicion and outrage?”

The point is, how do we know for sure who did what and when? Well, unless a player admitted usage or was caught, we don’t know. Yet decisions about the Hall of Fame-worthiness of baseball players is at stake here.

Now, the purpose of this article isn’t an attempt to assign blame to Bud Selig or anyone else associated the the aptly-named “Steroid Era.” Rather, it’s a desperate plea for MLB to do something to ensure that all voters are looking at this thing from the same perspective.

Recognizing that, I have determined that there are four main positions that MLB can take with regard to the question of what to do with the Hall of Fame candidacy of players suspected of taking steroids.

This admittedly won’t stop voters from having their own personal biases on the subject, but then again, that’s why unworthy candidates such as Jim Rice are sitting in the HOF today.

So, no, this will not make the voting “perfect” as no one will ever eliminate the subjectivity of the voting process. But it will at least finally address the issue once and for all.

1. Adopt a “Steroids Era” wing of the Hall of Fame

First of all, this will never happen. We know that. It would cause too much embarrassment for MLB and would not be fair to players who legitimately played clean during the era. Plus, what exactly is the time-frame of the so-called “Steroid Era”?

Can we assume for certain that it ended when MLB adopted its steroid testing? That no designer drugs were developed to get past the testing?

And when did the era actually begin? In 1988, when Jose Canseco used steroids to become baseball’s first 40-40 man?

Yet it is an option that would remove all doubt and allow voters to judge players solely on their performance without having to consider the role that PEDs may have played in a player’s results.

But opponents will rightfully argue that there is no “Dead Ball Era” in the Hall.

2. Eliminate all players from this Era from Hall eligibility 

Never mind that we cannot even define the era, lumping all players into the category of not being Hall-worthy simply because they happened to play during a time when many players used PEDs would be unfair.

Then again, is it really unfair to assume guilt before innocence? While this country was founded on the principle of “innocent until proven guilty”, so many guys used during this time, and lied about it, that no one really deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, this would mean that even the cleanest-of-the-clean, Greg Maddux, would then be ineligible from Hall consideration. But face it, while we would be shocked to find out that Maddux used, it is not impossible, is it?

Look, cherry-picking Hall of Fame candidacy based on assumptions and innuendo, as today’s system is currently defined, is just as unfair.

3. Allow all players from this Era entry to the Hall of Fame regardless of steroid use

The opposite extreme to restricting all players from the Steroid Era. this rule would allow voters to judge a players’ worthiness based solely on his stats and contributions to the game, and removes the subjectivity of whether or not steroids may have played a role in that players’ success.

Of course, it would also mean that obvious cheaters like Barry Bonds get in without any scrutiny.

One possible argument for this policy is the fact that we suspect that many of the steroid users during the Era were pitchers, which leads to the question of did this all even out? Dirty pitchers throwing to dirty hitters.

4. Only allow players who haven’t been “proven” guilty entry to the Hall 

Now, this one may be the best option. But even so, legitimate questions will abound.

For example, was Barry Bonds a Hall-of-Famer even before he bulked up and hit 70+ homers? I say “yes”, but in this case he would not be eligible since he admitted to using “The Cream” and “The Clear” in congressional testimony, though he claimed he thought they were flaxseed oil and arthritic balm (pause for laughter).

Players who tested positive would not be eligible for consideration, which would leave Sammy Sosa eligible even though any sensible person believes he took steroids.

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It’s fairly obvious to note that none of these options are perfect. Meanwhile, having MLB sit on its hands and do nothing is even worse.

The arguments about whether or not players like Palmeiro, Bonds and Clemens belong in the Hall obviously go way beyond numbers. Based on pure stats alone, each of these guys fly through the process without even a second thought.

The other issue is the fear that some borderline players will make the Hall just because their numbers are considered “pure”. In fact, I heard that argument made about Andre Dawson.

The truth is that there may already be players in the Hall who were dirty. That’s just a fact of life.

The process is already too subjective as it is. It’s time for MLB to do something about the cloud of steroid suspicion as it pertains to the Hall of Fame. Otherwise, why even bother holding the elections?

Of course, we should have recognized that the process was faulty a long time ago when 11 writers didn’t think that Babe Ruth should be in the Hall of Fame on the original ballot!  

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As we rapidly approach January, members the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) are filling out their ballots for the 2011 inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  With the Winter Meetings over, January’s HOF announcement is the biggest story until pitchers and catchers report in about six weeks.

For those of you who don’t know how the balloting works, here is a brief summary.  All candidates that received greater than five-percent of votes in the previous year remain on the ballot.  Players that have spent 15 years on the ballot without getting elected are dropped. 

The holdovers from the previous season are joined new candidates selected form a pool of players that have been retired for five years (or deceased for six months) and played a minimum of 10 MLB seasons.

Voters can choose to put up to 10 players on their ballot.  Any players appearing on over 75-percent of submitted ballots are inducted the following summer.  With that in mind, here is my ballot.

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2011 marks another Hall of Fame ballot featuring one of the MLB’s most villainous characters:  Rafael Palmeiro. 

Palmeiro can be remembered for three things:

          No. 1, the finger point—”I have never used steroids. Period. No. 2, the moustache—I don’t understand it, it never went out of style! No. 3, Palmeiro was a great baseball player that put up tremendous numbers.  Unfortunately, he tested positively for anabolic steroids. 

That brings up “the great debate”.

Is Palmeiro Hall worthy? 

Of course he is, and in my estimation, is deserved of a first ballot entry. 

Why would I, someone who played professionally, make such a suggestion or comment? 

Because he was a great player, just like other players who tested positive, he will be allowed to be a part of this exclusive fraternity: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte. 

There is absolutely no way that those three players will be denied.  I understand Pettitte is on the fringe of greatness, but he has numbers that are almost identical to John Smoltz, maybe better! 

Bonds, arguably the greatest player of our or any generation, cannot be denied and quite possibly the next home run king, A-Rod, will be accepted as well. 

I’m sure readers will ask, “what about Roger Clemens”?  Later than sooner is my theory, only because of the circus surrounding his case. 

Those I listed were great players before and were great players after.  An * can make a significant point; a stance of the brass if you will. 

The problem is all of these players were great, have always been great, and were “untainted” superstars before the allegations and finger-pointing took place. 

The * significance will remind us of mistakes, it will remind us of a time when baseball was more than a game, and it will signify a time when we turned a blind eye to the obvious.

The worst part, they never needed to use the supplements to carve their place in history.   Can these players, once hailed as heroes, regain their spot on the throne?  I can’t really tell.  All that I know is that their dubious achievements are a part of baseball history whether we like it or not.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

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When even the most adherent fan scans over the list of this year’s National Baseball Hall of Fame candidates, they will see the usual big names: Roberto Alomar, a surefire candidate who missed induction by one vote last year; Bert Blyleven, fifth all-time in strikeouts, who finished five votes away from Cooperstown last year; Jeff Bagwell, a surefire eventual candidate trying to get in on his first year on the ballot.

Yet no name on the ballot may have more significance or wonder connected to it than Rafael Palmeiro.

On the surface, Palmeiro, with 569 homers, 1,839 runs batted in, and 3,020 hits, is the type of player who should coast into the Hall.

But this year, with the addition of Palmeiro to the ballot, what has been speculated and debated for nearly six years will finally bubble to the surface, and baseball will finally stare its demons in the face.

For those who do not know, on March 17, 2005, an adamant Palmeiro famously appeared in front of Congress, stabbed his finger in the air, and defiantly stated, with the trademark confidence that he showed at the plate throughout his career, “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.”

Less than three months later, Palmeiro was handed a ten-game suspension for testing positive for what the Washington Post called a “serious” performance-enhancing drug. To this day, Palmeiro remains dumbfounded as to how he became the highest-profile player ever to be suspended for PEDs.

Now, Palmeiro will again be the dubious groundbreaker, as he becomes the first steroid user to take the ballot with what are viewed as sure-fire numbers.

Now, many will say that the voters have expressed their views towards steroids by keeping Mark McGwire, the Cardinals hitting coach and former slugger who hit over 500 long balls and once held the single-season record, far from induction to baseball’s most hallowed hall.

Since being admitted to the ballot in 2005, McGwire has fallen well short of the 75 percent needed for induction, with 23.5, 23.6, 21.9 and 23.7 percent.

However, there’s no guarantee that McGwire has the numbers for induction anyway. His 1,626 hits would be the third fewest among Hall of Famers.

Palmeiro, on the other hand, is a member of the elusive 500-3,000 club, whose other three members, Willie Mays (94.7), Hank Aaron (97.8), and Eddie Murray (85.3), all soared over the competition in their first year on the ballot.

Interestingly, Palmeiro never really held the characteristics of steroid user. He was consistent, piling up 11 seasons with 37-plus homers, 10 seasons with 100-plus RBI, and 11 seasons with 30-plus doubles. He showed a characteristic level-headedness, on and off the field, and he never had the ballooned physique associated with steroids.

So when he, perhaps the least juicer-like juicer ever, stands in front of the Hall of Fame selection committee, he will be poked, prodded, and poked again. His candidacy will be viewed and reviewed more times than any other in history, because it will not only decide whether or not Palmeiro gets in, but also the fates of several other men.

Because if Palmeiro gets in, how can we keep Barry Bonds out? How can we keep out Roger Clemens? Manny Ramirez?

Or, conversely, if we keep Palmeiro out, who has all the statistics of an all-time great, how can we let these other convicted rule-breakers in?

With Rafael Palmeiro, the problems that baseball has pushed aside will finally reach the surface. Here and now, the floodgates to the Hall of Fame may either be opened wide for a rush of players in the future, or locked for good, shut tight.

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I love me some Timmy Jim, but I don’t want him in my house.      

Before you start in about the fact that Tim Lincecum wouldn’t want to come over to my dumb house in the first place, he would. It’s close to the ballpark, always has a full fridge, is smoker friendly (on deck) and he could relax on my sectional pregame.

So save it—he’d want to hang out…but he can’t, because he’s covered in disgusting dog hair.

I am an expert in such things, unfortunately. My girlfriend has an English Bulldog named Margaret Thatcher, who, at the very least, enjoys equal voting power in our household.

When I get home, I can’t even look this animal in the eye lest she start urinating on my hardwood floors. She ripped up some Dita sunglasses once, and I almost stroked out when she annihilated my leather John Varvatos jacket last summer…that adorable little scamp.

It’s San Francisco, pal, and I enjoy looking fabulous, okay?…guilty.

Know what I also love? Beach Blanket Babylon and watching Ryan Howard strike out looking, thus catapulting my beloved San Francisco Giants into the World Series.

While dog-loving friends come over and coo and fawn over Margie, I spend the time usually sweeping and trying to reclaim my floors. This, of course, never gets me anywhere, as the bone-white dog hair falls off her back like so many snowflakes in winter.

Fellow dog agnostics will certainly affirm when I state that Margaret’s hair is literally everywhere. It is her legacy. It permeates every crevice of my house and snuffs out a little of my soul each passing day.

This hair is not just gross but may also contain the reason for the dominance of Tim Lincecum…and also why he is not welcome at my place.  

Tim has a pair of French Bulldogs named Cy and Young, who have super names, are cute as a button, and guaranteed, shed like gangbusters all over the two-time Cy Young Award winner and everything he owns. 

It’s on his uniform, all over his house, in his car; it coats his beanie collection and is stuck to his straightening iron right this second.

You can’t escape this stuff, trust me. Each time he accepted his back-to-back Cy Young Awards on the field at AT&T Park, he did it full of dog hair. When he struck out 14 Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, he had the little Frenchies’ cheveux de chien all over him.

When he outdueled Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the NLCS, and then again in Game 3 (well, arguably), that crap was on him again…100 percent certain    

This is no fluke, and Lincecum’s otherworldly performance should not be blindly lauded as a timely “finding of his game” or “taking it to the next level”…this is a pattern.    

Experts contend that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in professional sports, and that is when the pitcher is not rubbing up the ball with French bulldog hair.

Seriously, you think a little Vaseline or spit does something to pitches? You think a surreptitiously hidden emery board used to scuff up the ball gives an edge? You think testicle-shrinking PEDs might do the trick?

What if I could offer a technique that spun micro-fine dog hair into a batter’s eye right before they swung? Fox Sports has that ridiculously cool, super-slow motion replay, the one where you can watch every rotation of the ball. All I’m asking you to do is look a little closer next time, watch the fur fly and be honest with yourself.

Lincecum does not appear to be cheating knowingly, so I would please ask the government to continue focusing most of its vast taxpayer resources on chasing down a retired offender who happened to be using the more traditional PEDs.

Even though that guy was just too scared to come clean, because at the time, the entire world had singled him out as the only problem and the U.S. Government was (and is) after him like Al Capone.

You know the guy I’m talking about—the one who caught all the heat for his silent peers and then watched every one of their subsequent tearful confessions. The one who watched these cheaters get nary a slap on the wrist or even praised for “coming clean” after their names were released in the Mitchell Report.

Even though baseball fans have strangely misplaced their syringe signs, and even though the entire public whose money is financing this witch hunt is already past it…or humbled because of a taint on their own favorite player… Let’s still get that first guy! Yeah!

So, I offer continued success to the U.S. Government in their valuable pursuit against only one of the cheaters.

That being said, if you are going to be consistent, you might consider a few dollars towards looking into the effects of dog hair, how it changes the physics of a baseball and whether you can hit an already unhittable changeup when bulldog hair mist is launched into your eyes.

Because I believe that’s exactly what Tim Lincecum is doing, and it’s endangering the integrity of our national pastime.

Go Giants!…but let’s do this the right way. When Josh Hamilton steps out tomorrow seemingly because a little dirt got into his eye, let’s just make sure that really is dirt and win this thing fair and square…

…and to Tim Lincecum, please don’t drop by.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Mr. Darcy Fournier

The debate about Pete Rose and his eligibility for placement in the Hall of Fame is well documented, with passionate arguments for and against his induction.

I am not a “fan” of Pete Rose. However, I am not oblivious to his contributions to the game, and the poor choices he made along the way.

I am equally not oblivious to the political football this has become, and how poorly this has been handled by just about everyone, Rose included.

The points of contention are as follows…

The Major Argument for his Induction: Rose is the all-time baseball hits leader. In fact, Rose holds 17 major league records, and seven National League records. He was a switch hitting machine that batted over .300 for his career, appeared in 17 All-Star games, and was a major part of three World Series championship teams.

He is a former MVP and a former Rookie of the Year. He was a switch hitter that could play anywhere in the field. He hustled on every play, and one would be hard-pressed to find his equal in the history of the game.

The major argument against his induction: He violated one of baseball’s rules by betting on baseball as a player and a manager. He lied about it for decades before admitting to the charges.

He agreed to a permanent ban, but did so because he was told that he could apply for reinstatement a year later. Rose had no clue that offer was just window dressing. The MLB never had any intention of letting Rose back into the game.

That’s the first reason to file suit.

There are of course other arguments that have nothing to do with what the man did on the field that others raise against Rose being allowed back into the game or elected into the Hall.

He evaded taxes. He is, according to some, of dubious character. His detractors will tell you he was selfish, and played too long in his quest to break the all-time hits record.  As a player-manager in his final years, some say he put himself in the lineup at the expense of younger players such as Eric Davis in his selfish pursuit of the record.

Those arguing these points conveniently forget that there was an organization behind him that allowed him to do just that.

He eats cornflakes without milk and knows where the weapons of mass destruction are. Okay, sorry about that…but hey, might as well argue that too, as it makes about as much sense as any other argument.

He appeared at such events that some appear to be “beneath” the game. Events like Wrestlemania, in which he dressed himself as the San Diego Chicken, and was pile-driven onto his head and into oblivion by a behemoth named “Kane”.

Can anyone picture DiMaggio doing something like that? Of course not, everyone knows that being known as “Mr. Coffee” is of the highest class.

It has been proven that Rose bet on baseball. That is clear. He violated the rules. It was proven by an independant investigation and by his own admission. He clearly violated the rules of the game. We get it.  

The only difference between Pete Rose and those in the Hall is that he got caught. What are the chances that some, many or all of those in the Hall violated rules of the game?

I would be willing to bet the odds are pretty high. I wonder if Pete would give me action on those odds. Sorry Pete, my bad.

The one thing that stands out like a sore thumb in the sad saga of Pete Rose is the fact that it was never proven that he bet against his own team. If this could be proven then a ban would be justified. It has not been thus far and therefore the ban seems political and petty.

When some argue that it was never proven he bet on his team to lose, it is often countered with the argument that it does not matter because in betting on his team to win he might be tempted to manage to the tune of his bets and not to the integrity of the game or the safety of his players.

Every manager in the game does everything they can to win. Ask any manager if they would bet on their team to win and all would say yes. Rose actually did. He believed in his team. 

It seems that the real sticking point, and the real reason why Rose has been denied, is the dark cloud over that question. Did he bet on his team to lose? He denies he ever bet on his team to lose, and there has been, to date, no proof to believe otherwise.

It seems that the MLB operates on the “I think they did, so therefore they must have” rule of thumb. Screw the Constitution, we’re Major League Baseball.

It is here that Rose has yet another reason to sue the MLB.

In the era of steroids, iconic records have fallen to less-than-iconic players that cheated, or appear to have. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and company have all been accused of using performance enhancing drugs that greatly affected the history and integrity of the game.

They have not been banned from making a living off memorabilia. They have been placed on a silent, not formal, ineligibility list, because those that vote on the process have an ‘opinion” they used PED’S even though it has not been conclusively proven. Yet they have not been asked to sign such an agreement as Rose was.

The Mitchell report, baseball’s joke of an independent investigation into steroid use, names 103 players that had violated baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy. However, it has been agreed that the 103 names should not be released, because it would hurt the integrity of the game.

The players union would fight and file suit against any attempt to release the names, so hidden they remain. The MLB and the Players Union cover their ass when it is convenient, and Rose’s buttocks are left hanging out to dry.

Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz, among others, were rumored, admitted to, or have since been leaked as being on the list. Their numbers still stand, and they still make money.

Those 103 players mentioned in the report violated the rules of the game much like Rose, but unlike Rose they damaged the integrity of the sport. They altered outcomes and manipulated stats.

Of all of them, Alex Rodriguez is the only one that gets a pass. He admitted to using, and while he may not have been entirely truthful, he still admitted to it. Therefore, his stats from the years he admitted to using should be stricken, and then he should be judged on his career stats minus those years.

The others on the list should be banned from the game, stats stricken, and exiled.

Rose is a different animal.

He admitted, finally, to gambling. He still denies he did not bet against his team. It has not been proven. Therefore there are no stats to wipe, no integrity violated. Let the man back in.

Doesn’t every manager “bet,” in a sense, on his team to win? What more could Joe Girardi, the Yankees‘ current skipper, do to make his team win that Rose did as a manager? Did Rose inject his players with super juice to make them pitch better? Did his players fly?

The only difference between Joe Girardi, or any other manager, and Pete Rose, is that Rose bet, literally, on his team to win.

Put a plaque up about the player. Induct the player. He was never getting in as a manager, so why worry about it?

Don’t get me wrong, Rose’s actions are not commendable or excusable.  He is not exactly a sympathetic figure. However, since it can’t be proven that he damaged the integrity of the game, he should be allowed to be part of it once again.

He should be in the Hall of fame for his actions on the field, and nothing more.

Pete Rose the man deserves the reputation he has. He earned it. The Hall of Fame does not elect those based on their character…they elect those based on what they did on the field.

Pete Rose, the ballplayer, is getting screwed.

Pete Rose should sue for his right to be back in the game. He should sue for his right to be elected. He should sue for his inability to earn a living from the game.

The Hall of Fame is for performance, not personality. He is not the nicest guy on the bus, but in comparison to Ty Cobb, a Hall of Famer himself, Rose looks like an angel.

There are several in the Hall that don’t belong. There are many that should be in there now and have been overlooked. Rose is at the top of that list, and it’s about time he is rewarded for his contributions to the game as a player, and is inducted into the Hall where he belongs.

Until then, the Hall of Fame is nothing but an elitist club that is a stain on America’s pastime.

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