So the man has the all-time hit record for Major League Baseball with 4256 hits yet he is NOT in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Pete Rose, the man who said “I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball”, played the game as hard as anyone has ever played it. Even his nickname says everything about him.  “Charlie Hustle” gave 100% every time he walked on the field.  He won 3 World Series rings, 3 batting titles, one MVP award, 2 gold gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award and made 17 All-Star Game appearances yet he is not in the Hall of Fame. The reason why?

In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to a permanent ban from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 2004, after years of public denial, Rose finally admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds.

Rose is scheduled to meet with new baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred who promised to make a decision within three months. If Manfred were to lift the ban, in full or with restrictions, Rose could be considered for the Hall by an expansion-era veterans' committee, made up of Hall of Fame members, executives, and media members.

While baseball has been trying to distance themselves from players getting involved in gambling they have certainly talked out of both sides of their mouth lately. There is no watching a baseball game on TV without seeing an ad for FanDuel, DraftKings or Yahoo Daily Fantasy, all gambling companies.

While Major League Baseball has signed huge TV contracts with outlets like Fox Sports Midwest and ESPN, they don’t seem to mind all of the gambling commercials placed inside a baseball broadcast.

Gee, Pete Rose gambled and he can’t be in the Hall of Fame but Major League Baseball is gambling that everyone with look the other way so they can add an additional buck or two to their pockets.

Hey, MLB, you can’t have it both ways. Put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame before you embarrass yourself with a two-faced reason not to.

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