Kuzul

The word has just come that legendary MLB manager Sparky Anderson is reportedly very ill, and has been placed in hospice care at his home in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Coming less than two days after the end of the World Series, the news of Anderson’s fading health will undoubtedly hit the baseball world pretty hard, as it seems the sport is going to lose one of its all-time greats pretty soon.

The news has hit us fans pretty hard as well, and we’re scrambling to remember Sparky Anderson in our own way.

Ahead of you is just about all you need to know about the great Sparky Anderson.

Begin Slideshow

Cheating, betting, and scandals have been a part of sports ever since the beginning, whether it’s to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent, rake in some extra cash, or a temptation that was just too hard to resist.

The only thing worse than all of those things, though, is lying about it. Sooner or later the truth will come out, and when it does, get ready.

These 10 sports figures lied to millions of fans, and are worthy of being named the top 10 liars in sports history.

Begin Slideshow

With the 2010 season ending for the New York Yankees after Friday night’s Game 6 loss to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS, the focus has quickly shifted to the off season and what moves the Bombers will make in order to win a 28th World Series championship in 2011.

One of the pressing items on the Yankees’ to-do list this winter is to re-sign captain and soon-to-be free agent Derek Jeter.

It has been reported that Jeter may be seeking a seven-year contract that will keep him playing baseball until the age of 43, which may put him in a position to break Pete Rose’s all-time hits record.

In a recent article for ESPNNewYork.com, Ian O’Connor wrote:

“In statements he’s made in recent years to Yankee executive Gene Michael and to his own personal trainer, Jason Riley, Jeter has indicated he wants to play until he’s about 43. He has also indicated a willingness to change positions, if necessary, for his final few seasons.”

If Jeter, who turned 36 this past June, really does have aspirations to play until he is 43, then his next contract would have to be for seven years.  With 2,926 career hits, it is very likely that he is seeking to break Pete Rose’s all-time career hits record of 4,256.

This is a quest that is not impossible as Jeter and Rose have had very similar career numbers up until the age of 36.

From his first full season in 1963 until 1977, between the ages of 22 and 36, Pete Rose amassed 2,966 hits in 2,346 games played, which is an average of 198 hits per year over 156 games played.

From his first full season in 1996 until 2010, between the same ages of 22 and 36, Derek Jeter has amassed 2,914 hits in 2,280 games played which is an average of 194 hits per year over 152 games played (for age and season average comparison purposes, I have left out Jeter’s 1995 season in which he gathered 12 hits over 15 games as a 21-year-old).

The biggest challenge for Jeter will be matching Charlie Hustle’s performance over the later years in his career.

From 1978-1984, between the ages of 37 and 43 (which will be the comparison to Jeter’s next contract), Pete Rose racked up 1,131 hits in 1,025 games played which is an average of 162 hits per year over 146 games played.

It is important to note that Rose did not retire after the 1984 season as he tacked on 107 hits in 1985 as a 44-year-old and 52 hits in 1986 as a 45-year-old for a total of 159 hits after the age of 43.

For Jeter to get the 1,331 more hits needed to break Pete Rose’s record over this reportedly desired seven-year contract, he will need to average slightly over 190 hits per year.  This is not an easy task considering that Mr. November will be in the twilight of his career where there typically is a steady decline in production and the ever-present concern with injuries.

The seven-year contract may still be beneficial to Jeter, however as he will need to average just over 180 hits per year to pass Ty Cobb for second place on the all-time hits list and average a very conceivable 121 hits per season to pass Hank Aaron for third place, which is certainly nothing to scoff at.

As if the five World Series championships weren’t enough, grabbing the third place slot on the all-time hits list will surely cement Derek Jeter’s place as one of the greatest hitters in the history of Major League Baseball.

If Jeter is indeed looking for a seven-year deal and he gets it, he will begin his ascent up baseball’s all-time hits list.  If he does not finish his career at the top of this list, there is a strong possibility that he will be very close to it.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Ichiro Suzuki recently proved he is the greatest hitter in Major League Baseball history. He had his 200th hit for the 10th straight year in the United States. This is a feat no hitter has ever achieved.

Pete Rose is the only other player who had 200 hits in 10 years, which took him 15 years to accomplish. All other great hitters line up behind Suzuki, including Ty Cobb, whose AL record Suzuki shared until this year.

Had he been hitting in the Major Leagues over the entire course of his career, he would be the all-time hits leader by now. And there is mounting evidence that Suzuki will live in the shadow of the Mariners.

Suzuki has been lost beneath a perennial doormat in the American League. Banished to the Pacific Northwest, where time and place make him a baseball treasure few see or appreciate, even over television.

This is perhaps the greatest tragedy in the history of baseball. Great stars have been pulled to great teams where they have toiled in the spotlight of the world.

Many in baseball enjoy far less ability but a much larger audience because of the team and geography.

Few statistics stand out more than hitting. Of the many great hitters, most have been belittled for “hitting for average.” Suzuki is no exception.

Yet what does this really mean? Is it not the goal of most baseball teams to get players on base?

There are a few exceptions. Among others, one has to hit sacrifice flies on occasion. But let’s get real. A hitter like Suzuki could go on forever.

Whatever his legacy, he is clearly one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever seen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It was the kind of game that fans in 2010 have seen many times.

New York’s most beloved team, the New York Mets, a last place team on Sept. 1 and the Cincinnati Reds were playing the first game of the 1973 National League playoffs at Riverfront Stadium.

Tom Seaver, the league’s best pitcher who had been nursing a “tired” arm for almost one month, was opposed by the Reds’ Jack Billingham, who had been ill the day before and told the press that he was probably dehydrated.

Seaver’s right shoulder had stiffened during the Mets’ stretch run.

“For the last month, I didn’t have my stuff and I didn’t know where it was going, anyway. It’s tough trying to pitch like that. I’ve been taking Butazolidin pills to draw off the irritation.”

Their less than peak physical condition didn’t seem to bother either hurler. Going to the Reds’ half of the eighth inning, the Mets led 1-0.

Left-handed hitting reserve catcher Hal King batted for Billingham. He became Seaver’s twelfth strike out victim.

Pete Rose was the batter. It was a battle between two of the all-time greats.

One cannot over-emphasize the fact that Pete Rose maximized his talent more than almost any one who ever played the game, including most Hall of Famers.

In 1968, the first “Year of the Pitcher,” Pete led the league with a .335 batting average. Only Mateo Alou (.332), his older brother Felipe (.317) and Curt Flood (.301) hit at least .300. Carl Yastrezemski led the junior circuit with a .301 average.

Rose stepped into the left-handed batters box. After working the count to 2-2, Pete blasted a Seaver fast ball over the right field fence to tie the game. Johnny Bench won it in the ninth inning with a game-ending home run off Seaver.

During the 1973 season, Rose led the league with a .338 batting average and an Ichiro-like 230 hits. But in 752 plate appearances, he hit only five home runs. Pete rose to the occasion.

The Mets beat the Reds in five games to win the pennant, but Rose batted .381 and hit another home run.

Pete Rose was the firebrand that helped lead the 1975 Reds to the World Championship and the following season helped set the stage against the New York Yankees by getting into Mickey Rivers’ head.

Pete played an extremely shallow third base to take the bunt, one of Rivers’ primary weapons, away from the Yankees’ lead off hitter. The Reds swept the Yankees, who were not doing well in the World Series.

In 1980, Pete was with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that had never won a World Series. He provided the leadership that led to the Phillies’ first World Championship.

Pete Rose set many enviable records, but all of those records, as great as they are, are overridden by the fact that those who know baseball know that Pete Rose was and is a winner.

References:

Pete Rose at Baseball-Reference

By JOSEPH DURSOSpecial to The New York Times. (1973, October 7). Seaver Loses but Strikes Out 13 for Mark :Matlack to Pitch Today Reds Down Mets in 9th With Homer Playoff Mark For Strikeouts Bench Ends Game. New York Times (1923-Current file),p. 243. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 91000768).

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.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Reds have been given permission to recognize the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose breaking Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record.  Rose recorded his 4,192nd hit on September 11, 1985.  

Major League Baseball has tried to make Rose a ghost in Cincinnati and throughout baseball.  The Reds sell jerseys with “Bench—5”, “Morgan—8” and “Perez—24” on the back.  However, the “14” jersey that is sold in the team shop is without a name.

Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction toward Rose being integrated back into the game or at least into the Hall of Fame.  With all of the problems in sports today, allowing a man who made a mistake over 20 years ago to be honored for a remarkable achievement seems like the least the commissioner’s office can do.

It also seems that Fay Vincent has a serious case of the goo about Bud Selig allowing Rose to be honored. 

When I am retired, I plan on relaxing and spoiling my grandchildren.  I assume that most people who are fortunate enough to retire from the workforce want to live a stress-free lifestyle that does not involve them sticking their nose in the business of their former employer.

Translation: Mr. Vincent, nobody cares what you think.  You sound like a bitter and jealous old man.  Please shut your mouth and just go away.

Read more at Reds Country.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The sport of Major League Baseball has seen its share of gambling controversies, most notably, the scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series and the Chicago White Sox, famously known as the Black Sox Scandal.

However, not one scandal gained more notoriety than the allegations levied against Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.

On August 23, 1989, through an agreement reached with then baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, Pete Rose voluntarily accepted a lifetime suspension from the game of baseball.

Rose, at the time the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, had been reported to have been betting on baseball, and more specifically games in which the Reds were involved.

Rose was questioned in early 1989 by Giamatti, who was president of the National League at the time, and by current commissioner Peter Euberroth.

Later in the year, Euberroth stepped down as commissioner, and Giamatti was unanimously selected by MLB owners to replace him. During this time, lawyer John M. Dowd was retained to investigate the allegations against Rose.

In mid-August, the investigation was completed, and its findings submitted to commissioner Giamatti. In his report, Dowd concluded that Rose indeed had bet on baseball games, and had specifically on at least 50 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 per day.

On August 23rd, after several days of negotiations with commissioner Giamatti, Rose agreed to the lifetime ban. Ironically, eight days after the announcement, Giamatti suddenly died of a heart attack at his summer home in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was just 51 years old.

At the time, Rose had vehemently denied that he bet on baseball games. In 2004, fifteen years later, he finally revealed in his book, “My Prison Without Bars”, that he did bet on baseball.

Rose has applied for reinstatement several times, but the ban is still in place today. He has only been allowed back on the baseball field once, in 1999, when he was elected to the All-Century team, and he appeared with the team on the field at the All-Star game at Fenway Park.

Rose has arrogantly displayed his disdain for the decision on several occasions, setting up shop outside the confines of the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York during induction ceremonies, and at autograph signing sessions throughout the country.

Rose had his own radio talk show for years during the 1990’s, and his lifetime suspension was frequent fodder for Rose and his guests.

If Rose could have simply accepted the ban, worked to ingratiate himself positively with baseball owners and executives, and publicly admit his wrongdoings, his suspension likely would have been lifted.

Instead, Rose chose the tact of displaying complete arrogance and constant denials until fifteen years after the fact, and those acts alone have not only kept him out of baseball, but also kept him out of the place where he truly feels he belongs—the Hall of Fame.

Arrogance has never been a successful act of defense. Rose should have chosen the path of humility.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Former pitching great Roger Clemens has been indicted by a grand jury for lying under oath and not admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

But Clemens, if guilty, would certainly not be the only baseball player to present false truths to the public. The fact that it was done while under oath during grand jury testimony is what makes it so reprehensible and a potential crime, but still, that doesn’t make the other nine of these lies any less damaging.

Some of these are funny, some are ridiculous, and others just damning, but all are worth taking a look at. Which are your personal favorites? Do you have more to add that I may have missed?

So, strap it down, relax, and prepare to enter the land where truth is nowhere to be found. Really, that’s the truth, I am not lying.

Oh, but these guys are!

Begin Slideshow

Since it’s been revealed that several Major League stars have used steroids, I’ve started to ponder what the difference is between players who have received bans for gambling and those who have received bans for steroid use.

The penalties for steroid use are:

• First offense: 50-game suspension
• Second offense: 100-game suspension
• Third Offense: Lifetime ban

The penalties for gambling are:

• First offensse: Ban for life (or whatever penalty the commissioner in office deems appropriate).

There are 27 players, coaches, and an umpire that have been banned for gambling or throwing games since 1865.

There are 117 players that have been implicated, admitted to, tested positive, or listed in the Mitchell Report for using steroids.

Here is a bit of irony for you. Steroid use and gambling have one common denominator: both have a direct affect on the game’s outcome.

There has been much talk about whether players such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Alex Rodriguez should be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Of these three players, only Rodriguez has admitted to steroid use while with the Texas Rangers. McGuire refuses to answer any questions regarding steroid use and Bonds is in a state of denial about the whole issue.

Personally, I feel that any user, whether he admits to it or tests positive at any time during his career, should not be eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Harsh you say?

Consider two players banned for throwing games or gambling, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.

The lifetime ban handed down to by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis to the 1918 White Sox was perhaps the harshest punishment ever. Despite the fact that all players were acquitted by a federal grand jury, Landis banned the eight White Sox players, stating:

“Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a ball game, no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball.”

Landis covered all contingencies, including players who overhear discussions about gambling or throwing a game.

However, there is evidence that casts some doubt about Jackson’s involvement. Jackson initially refused the $5,000, only to have Lefty Williams throw it on the floor. Jackson attempted to contact then Sox owner Charles Comiskey but Comiskey refused to meet with him.

Team attorney Alfred Austrian coached Jackson’s grand jury testimony, which might be considered illegal by current standards. He attempted to get Jackson to admit to the payoff by getting him drunk on whiskey. He also got Jackson, who was barely literate, to sign a waiver of immunity.

Years later, the other seven players implicated in the scandal confirmed that Jackson was never at any of the meetings to discuss throwing the games and said they included Jackson’s name to give their plot credibility.

And let’s not forget the most obvious claim to his innocence—his play during the 1918 World Series, batting almost .400 and committing no errors.

Here was a player that had the talent and capability to re-write the record books. If he had played as long as Ty Cobb, there could have been a very real chance that Pete Rose would have been chasing Jackson for the hit record instead of Cobb.

Pete Rose, three years after he retired as an active player, was placed on the permanent ineligibility list from baseball amid accusations that he gambled on games while he played and managed the Cincinnati Reds.

In 2004, Rose admitted to betting on baseball games but never against his own team.The Baseball Hall of Fame bans players on the “permanently ineligible” list from induction. Rose’s possible reinstatement and election to the Hall have been topics of many debates.

As to the players who have admitted to steroid use, why do they get the opportunity to “rehabilitate” themselves and still be allowed to earn millions of dollars to play a game?

Neither Jackson nor Rose had second or third chances offered to them.

The rules don’t allow players caught gambling to be suspended. And yet, the use of steroids has run rampant for years before someone finally cried, “enough!”

There had to be a reason why players all of a sudden were hitting 40-60 home runs a season instead of 20-35.

There had to be a reason why a player who for most of his career could never hit above .250 all of a sudden was leading the league in batting average at .345.

There had to be a reason why over one offseason, players who previously weighed in at 185-225 lbs. shot up to 230-250 lbs. and actually gained speed, bat speed, and strength.

Aren’t these players cheaters as well? Didn’t they change the outcome of games?

There has been a spate of no-hitters thrown this year. A lot of people seem to think that it’s the age of the pitchers again. I don’t think it’s ability of the pitchers, it’s just that now the players don’t have the bat speed and strength to hit it out of the park like they used to.

Both Jackson and Rose were phenomenal players who achieved their accomplishments without the use of chemicals.

Did they cheat?

For Jackson, I doubt that we’ll ever find out the truth, but I put him in the same light as Jim Thorpe who had his Olympic medals taken away because someone took advantage of him.

Jackson should have his ban lifted and be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

He was one of the best hitters of his time (a career .356 hitter over 12 years) and if he had played as long as Cobb did (23 years) he could have easily had almost 3,400 hits.

As for Rose, the majority of his accomplishments were achieved far before his gambling ever took place. His style of play got him the nickname “Charlie Hustle.” Would that indicate to anyone that he was throwing games? 

Remember, this was the guy that blasted Ray Fosse in an All-Star Game because he was so bent on winning.

Here’s a question for you: Why do steroid users get second and third chances and gamblers get none?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com