Pete Rose, Hall of Famer? Yes, you are reading that correctly. You are not dreaming, this I promise. Rose, Major League Baseball's all time hits leader, with 4,256, was banned for life from baseball on Aug. 23, 1989, when he signed an agreement prohibiting him from the game after allegedly gambling during his stint as manager of the Cincinnati Reds between 1984 and 1989. Since signing the agreement, Rose has repeatedly denied gambling ties and has attempted to remain active in the game, without success.
Rose's statistical case for Hall of Fame induction is as valid as any other in the history of the game. During his playing career, Rose was known as a ferocious competitor, who swung the bat as well as anyone to step on the field. He led the league in hits seven times and hit over .300 15 times. His career batting average of .303 is greatly deflated by five sub-par years after he reached the age of 40 (three as a player-coach).
The greatness of his stats is undeniable. The controversy lies in whether Rose's alleged gambling should keep him from entering Cooperstown. As a fan, I think Rose should be inducted into the Hall whether he did in fact bet for or against the Reds as their manager. As a manager in baseball, you control the game much less than the players on the field. The manager can make decisions that are arguably wrong, but it is the players who ultimately decide who wins or loses.
There is almost no precedent for banishment in professional sports besides "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the "Black Sox" scandal. Rose's case differs however, because he did not "throw" games as a player, only allegedly as a coach. The eight implicated Black Sox players were banned for throwing games as players in the 1919 World Series. Whether Jackson was truly involved in throwing the World Series is still questioned, but his career statistics, while Hall of Fame quality, are not as incredible as Rose's.
Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, has an enormous decision to make in the near future. Should he uphold the decision made by his predecessor Fay Vincent to keep Rose out of baseball and out of the Hall of Fame? Should he allow Rose back into the game and make him eligible for the Hall? Or should he make a compromise, such as lifting the ban from the game of baseball, but not from Cooperstown? With new evidence surfacing that Rose owes upwards of $150,000 in back taxes, his public image is quickly disintegrating. One thing Rose has always had is public support, but now he may quickly be losing that as well.
Rose may be a jerk. He may have serious gambling problems. He may have bet against his own team. But the only hard evidence we have is that of his great playing career, a career worthy of the Hall of Fame. Selig must make a final decision so that Rose will not be left in limbo for the rest of his life. I say, induct him into Cooperstown, but keep him away from the game itself. Lift the bans, but do not let him return to a managerial or administrative position. Do not let a few bad decisions leave an asterisk next to the name of one of the best hitters of all time.
Sorenstam teeing it up with the men
Annika Sorenstam, the best female golfer in the world and an unstoppable force on the LPGA tour with 24 wins over the last three years, has expressed an interested in playing against the men of the PGA tour this season. With 11 victories on the LPGA tour last year, Sorenstam made Tiger Woods' historic season look merely average. In a sport in which media coverage favors the men's tour, Sorenstam's season went relatively unnoticed by outsiders.
Critics wonder how Sorenstam will fare against longer-hitting men on significantly longer courses, but golf is not like tennis where men and women go head-to-head. While Sorenstam will definitely not win a PGA Tour event, there is no doubt in my mind that she can compete with the men, and make the cut in a PGA event. In tennis, men easily overpower women during rallies, but in golf, Sorenstam will compete against the course, not against the men.
Without a doubt, Sorenstam will, as Tiger Woods suggested, play a course that suits her game. As one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour, Sorenstam will not struggle with length as much as critics suggest. Sorenstam's average driving distance last year, 265.8, would have put her in the top 200 on the PGA tour. With new equipment this year, Sorenstam will have no problem adding five or 10 yards to her average to go along with her incredible short game.
Sorenstam has already proven that she is the best female golfer in the world, and she deserves the chance to compete against the best male golfers on an equal playing field. I think she will surprise a lot of people and gain much-needed credibility for the top female golfers.
Controversy brewing in Indy
The coming offseason in Indianapolis needs to be watched carefully after a recent exchange of words between Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and field goal kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Vanderjagt, the NFL's all-time accuracy leader, lashed out against Manning and coach Tony Dungy, questioning each's desire and killer instinct.
In response, Manning called Vangerjagt an "idiot kicker" on Sunday's Pro Bowl and said that Vanderjagt was "liquored up" when he made his comments to a Canadian newspaper.
Vanderjagt should obviously be reprimanded for his original remarks, but Manning should be equally, if not more strictly reprimanded, for sinking to Vangerjagt's level and responding to such inappropriate comments. Neither player's assertions add to the Colts' chances of making the playoffs next year and should thus be forgotten. Grow up, Peyton. Grow up, Mike.