Quote from ArchAngel:
Spitting on an umpire is WORSE than betting on the game or even drug use?? That must be an interesting scale you're using.
This is an interesting issue. I can see how an argument can be made either way.
Betting on the games, assuming that he (Rose) only bet on his own team to win outright (different than betting to win with a spread, in which point shaving becomes a potential issue) is clearly wrong. It was a violation of the rules, and a violation of the spirit of the rules. It was nothing short of disgraceful. But it was not the same thing as the "Black Sox" incident. Fixing (taking a fall) was a different thing entirely.
While morally reprehensible, Rose's actions did not affect anyone in the sense that aside from his unwritten responsibility to be held to a certain standard of honor, it was a "victimless" crime. As long as he played (and managed) to win and bet on that alone.
As has been said already very frequently in this thread, Rose's actions, and the repercussions of his actions detracted from the integrity of the game. So there is no defense on that level.
But still, as shameful as Rose's behavior was (and is), he did not do any harm to any individual. It was a shameful selling out of standards that are somehow special to our way of life. In a sense what he did was uniquely "Un-American"....I mean this is BASEBALL! It is "sacred". At least to a lot of us.
Alomar's spitting on the umpire was a direct assault on an individual. It was disgusting, yes. But it also had a specific victim. Which Rose's betting did not have. So in that sense, Alomar's behavior can be considered "worse" I guess.
BUT, what Alomar did was very spontaneous. It was a one time event. He apologized profusely. He showed genuine remorse. There was absolutely no pre-meditation. A "crime of passion"?
What Rose did was absolutely "pre-meditated". It was NOT a one time occurrence. He did NOT demonstrate any remorse at all or even admit guilt for 14 years. And even now, it is with selfish motives that he has finally come forward.
What he did, the wrongs, were only compounded by the lies.
This is a guy that had it all. Stardom, money, the admiration of a whole country, everything. But he is also a miserable human being.
His kid played t-ball on my stepdaughter's team when they were six years old or so. Rose came to help coach the team and cheer them on on a few rare occasions. This should have been something the other kids (and perhaps even more so, the other kid's parents) could have remembered as something special for all their lives. But it wasn't that way. He acted like an asshole. He could not separate who he was from what he was. Like being President, a man has to honor the office. Rose was an American Institution. But he dishonored what he was by being who he was.
Is it fair to expect this "honoring" of ones self in a case like this? Maybe not, but if he did not want to do that, he should have stayed home. Not come to the park and be a nasty guy around the public who idolized him. Especially kids. And ESPECIALLY kids who were playing BASEBALL.
His restaurant in Boca is now closed (the food sucked). But on the menu, there was a list of the records this guy held. It was mind boggling! He HAS to be in the Hall of Fame for his achievements. He would not be the first a-hole to be enshrined at Cooperstown by a long shot. But maybe only being admitted posthumously is a good idea. What he accomplished on the field is indisputable. But being honored by the game he dishonored in a ceremony he can revel in? No, IMO he does not deserve that.
So let his records be acknowledged. Let him be immortalized in the Hall. But let it happen after he is no longer alive to bask in a ceremony he doesn't deserve. He has already been honored so many times in his life. Let this one thing be a just punishment. Which it seems it would be. It appears to be very important to Rose to be admitted to the Hal in his lifetimel. So not permitting this would be a perfect punishment. Very well tailored.
Customized punishment is a great concept. Seldom is it available. This is one instance where it is. We, the American public, and Major League Baseball should take this opportunity to meet out justice that is so fitting. The concept of the punishment fitting the crime has always been with us. The opportunity to implement it so beautifully is rare. We should seize the opportunity.
Of course I could be wrong
Peace,
RS
