by Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Kim Kulish/Corbis/Getty Images
Pete Rose, nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” has passed away at the age of 83. He’s one of the greatest hitters of all time and significantly impacted baseball in the 70s and 80s. Rose still holds the record for most hits of all time with 4,256.
Rose was part of the Big Red Machine, which dominated for at least six years in the 1970s. Rose is from Cincinnati, and he achieved his dream of playing for his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds won two championships in 1975 and 1976. From 1970 to 1976, the Reds won two World Series, five division titles, and four NL pennants.
After his time in Cincinnati, he went to the Philadelphia Phillies. With third baseman Mike Schmidt, the Phillies won the World Series in 1980 to capture Rose’s third World Series ring.
Rose also had a solid managing career. His teams would finish second place but didn’t get to see the fall classic. Soon, Rose made bad headlines, such as the betting on baseball games situation.
He was banned from baseball, and in 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame board voted that anybody permanently banned from the game would be ineligible for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot and blocked from enshrinement.
It cost and hurt Rose and his reputation. Rose made things worse by spending two decades denying that he was better at games, but then, in 2004, he admitted that he bet on games. He regretted doing it, but lying for many years hurt his chances of entering the Hall of Fame.
However, forgiveness is vital and takes initiative. Rose should have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame before he passed away. Commissioner Rob Manfred had a chance to do it. He could’ve made it happen, but Rose was denied reinstatement.
Yes, Rose did wrong, but the man paid for his consequences. At some point, we need to move on and cherish what the person meant to the game of baseball. It seems like Rose is one of the players MLB views as one of the game’s biggest villains.
If MLB puts Rose in the Hall of Fame now that he’s gone, it will look inauthentic and not sincere. He should’ve been honored while he was alive. Holding grudges or resentment won’t resolve anything.
Whether you like or dislike Rose, he’s an example of how you should play the game of baseball, from hitting to running to defense. His baseball IQ is unparallel.
In 1973, Rose won the NL MVP in 1973. He was named the World Series MVP in 1975. He made 17 All-Star appearances and was named a member of MLB’s All-Century team in 1999.
