Tracy Larsen on Baseball | The Seattle Mariners | Should Charlie Hustle go to the Hall?

Should Charlie Hustle go to the Hall?
By Tracy Larsen, for Seattle Insider
Originally published by Cox Interactive Media, March 1999

Every die-hard baseball fan has heard the argument from the sport's officials: Pete Rose allegedly gambled against his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, while acting as its manager and player, disgracing his team, the sport, the baseball world-at-large and, by some True Believer's view, the world in general. He also pleaded guilty to (and served time for) tax evasion, and has therefore forfeited any claims to induction into that most hallowed of places, the Baseball Hall of Fame...

Amen.

A very different view prevails among most baseball fans, however; namely, the fact that Rose's record-setting 4,256 career hits should place him in the upper echelons of baseball's All-Time Greats. Add to that his 1,300+ RBI's, 198 stolen bases and a career batting average of .303 and most fans see it as proof enough that he belongs in the Hall. But while statistics have traditionally meant everything in baseball - it's the only sport which seems to inspire basic math skills among the young, turning figuring percentages and averages into a fun exercise - in Rose's case, the point seems moot. His shortcomings off the field have somehow eclipsed his tremendous energy and determination on it. Charlie Hustle became Charlie Hustler, seemingly overnight.

So the question is this: Should moral integrity be the yardstick by which Hall of Fame eligibility is judged? Should only squeaky-clean, church-going, My-Face-Should-Be-Enshrined-On-A-Wheaties-Box players gain entrance? Or should it simply represent major leaguers who stand out above the rest in terms of how they played the game?

If we are to believe section five of the Hall of Fame's own Mission Statement, then surely the King of Hits belongs there. It states that it is "Honoring, by enshrinement, those individuals who had exceptional careers, and recognizing others for their significant achievements." Whose career hits record did Rose break when he hit number 4,192? That other venerable humanitarian, Ty Cobb's - a 1936 inductee.

But if the argument stands for the former, it's only fair that judgment be retroactive. And with that hindsight we could surely eliminate Cobb - xenophobic bigot, mysogynist, hard-core drinker and all-around nasty guy extraordinaire. He took the practice of 'spiking' opposing players while running the bases to new and disgusting heights, but even most of his own teammates couldn't stand the guy. So forget the little fact that after more than six decades of players and owners and superstars and commissioners coming and going, he still holds the record for lifetime batting average, an incredible .367, because hey, the man himself was pretty much pond scum. Go ahead and scratch his name off the wall at Cooperstown. An as-yet-to-be-named untarnished baseball angel's name will be put in trade later... once one is found, of course.

This is not to deny Rose's offenses. Nor is the argument for his reinstatement implying that the Commissioner at the time, the late Bart Giamatti, wasn't acting on anything other than his best intentions and genuine love and respect for the game. He was trying to restore its integrity at a time when naked greed seemed to color every deal. Well, it certainly helped to stem that tide, didn't it.

And while we baseball fans aren't always such a forgetting lot - remember the '94 non-season? - we're certainly some of the most forgiving fans around. The love and adoration lavished upon Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa last season seems proof enough that any bad feelings regarding a strike or astronomically high players' salaries can be set aside. Or at the very least, we know great baseball when we're watching it.

That's just what Pete Rose gave us every inning; great baseball, played with such determination that he seemed to win by sheer force of will. Maybe that's another reason so many of us want to see his induction. What we see in him is us - more grit than pure talent, more human than superhero. Babe Ruth can remain untouchable; Charlie Hustle can represent the rest of us.

And maybe one day both of them can boot Ty Cobb right outta the park.

Related sites:

Arguing for Rose’s reinstatement and induction:

Pete Rose Official “4256 Hit King” Fan Club
http://www.peterose.com/fanclub.htm

Pete Rose Cooperstown Countdown
http://www.hobbymall.com/peterose.htm

Jimmy Carter’s 1995 USA Today article re. Pete Rose reinstatement
http://www.peterose.com/rose1.htm

Questioning/against Rose’s reinstatement and induction:

Baseball Hall of Fame Statement re. Pete Rose and Joe Jackson
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/visit/faq.html

Baseball Guru’s Pete Rose and teammates comparison
http://members.aol.com/thebbguru/baseball/bbspot.html

Ty Cobb: