Having a Ball- The Baseball Hall of Fame in between Naps

A quick wrap up of Major Sporting Events from the past week and my opinions on a specific topic in the Sports World.


I was thinking over the weekend that this is a really slow time in the sports world. But don’t take my word for it; check out the Home Page of any major sports Website. Major League Baseball is entering the “Dog Days” of the season. The NFL is a week away from starting up Training Camps. Golf is pretty non-existent until the PGA Championship next month. There were a few events in some of the minor sports and we’ll be able to review them since things are so slow.

One event that did occur over the weekend was this years Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Unless one of your favorite major league rs is being inducted, most pass on this riveting event. That being said, every time this event rolls around, it sparks a big debate on one person who many believe should be inducted, but hasn’t. Pete Rose. This week I’ve chosen to share my thoughts on the big question. Should Pete Rose be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

But first, a quick Sports Wrap up…

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

While many teams are positioning themselves for a playoff run, most of the talk is on Free Agency. The St Louis Cardinals acquired Outfielder Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies, which seems like a great move. Since the move, the Cardinal’s have lost 2 of 3 and fallen out of first place heading into a tough series with LA Dodgers who have the best record in Baseball.
Everybody is talking about the Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Roy Halladay being traded.. The top contenders are the Philadelphia Phillies, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, and Texas Rangers. I’ve heard a lot of talk that the Red Sox and Yankees were in the mix. I think this is a fantasy, generated by fans of these two clubs. There is no way the Blue Jays would trade their best player to a team in the same division. It will never happen!

Taking Charge

LA DODGERS -
Still poses the best record in Baseball and have a 9 Game lead in their division. However they are playing .500 for the last couple of weeks. They are playing like they are bored.

NY YANKEES-
Have been on fire for a month. Still only 2.5 games ahead of the RED SOX but if this play continues, they will take complete control. Many road games coming up, We’ll see.


PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES-

Have quietly taken a 7 game lead in their division. Right where they were last year. In one of the weakest divisions in baseball they should be set for playoffs.

LA ANGELS

Have won 12 of 14 and taken a 4 game lead in their division. This all happening, with 2 of their best hitters on the bench. The lead should grow as the season wears on and they get healthy. Count on them to be back in the playoffs.


On the Edge

EVERYBODY IN THE CENTRAL DIVISION OF BOTH LEAGUES
Except Cleveland, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh

Both divisions are going to be great to watch down the stretch.

TEXAS RANGERS-
Won’t go away. Have given a little ground to the Angels over the past couple weeks. Is the annual nosedive around the corner?

BOSTON RED SOX.-
Can beat the Yankees. Solid Team, but they better be careful , the Wild Card is no Guarantee this year


TAMPA BAY RAYS-
Still a solid shot at making it back , but need to win within their division.


CHICAGO CUBS-
This was a tough one. They are only a ½ game up as I write this. However, they have climbed back in it and are playing the best baseball in the division. Remember, this team held the best record in the NL last year.

COLORADO ROCKIES-
2 and 3 since the Holliday Trade. Lead the Wild Card race, and their competition is in their division… San Francisco. Have been very good since Tracy took over.

SAN FRANCISCO-
Still hanging on but really dropping. Have the best 1-2 punch in baseball starting pitching. Need a bat, but if they can hang on and make the playoffs anything can happen with that pitching.



Season Over

EVERYBODY ELSE



NFL
This is the week Bret Favre gives his announcement on whether he will be returning from retirement, to play for the Minnesota Vikings, Right????? Riiiiiight……….


NASCAR

I heard Jimmy Johnson won the All State 400 at Indianapolis. OK here is the thing. NASCAR promotes itself as the people’s “sport”. They say that’s why it’s so popular, everybody can relate. Recently there has been a big decline in the popularity of the “sport”. They are losing sponsors left and right and I’m sure the economy has something to do with that.

They need to contract a little just like every other franchise that goes through tough times. They race something like 44 weeks out of the year for crying out loud.

I can’t relate.

Here is a great idea to get more viewers. Instead of having the cars drive around in circles, have them race city to city. Maybe have them drive 10 laps around the track when they get there to finish. Every time they need to change tires, they actually have to pull into a service garage. Get out, sit in a smelly waiting room. Be forced to eat a stale doughnut and a bad cup of coffee. Wait two hours and then pay $500 out of their own pocket, on the spot. Same goes for gas! Every time they fill up, they got to get out and pay at the pump with their own credit card. And if any part breaks on the car, they got to order the parts and wait for a teenage kid to deliver it in a pick up truck.

It could be like a Soap Opera for guys. “As the Wheels Turn”

In this weeks episode, Tony Stewart has a melt down as he is told his car won’t be ready for 2 more days and is forced to drive loaner car.

Or…. Jeff Gordon refuses to stop for gas even though he is almost on empty, hoping he’ll find a better price up the street.
Now that’s something I can relate to..

TOUR DE FRANCE

Alberto Contador won the Tour de France over the weekend. This is his second in a row. I know these guys are tremendous athletes, and I don’t want to take anything away from them, but I think we need to rethink following this event as a sport. I mean the guy rode most of the last leg of the event not only carrying, but drinking a huge bottle of Champagne. That’s illegal in most countries, isn’t it?



WNBA

Please……



PETE ROSE AND THE HALL OF FAME


Every year I go back and forth on the issue of whether Pete Rose should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pete Rose was a dominant Player when I was growing up. When he played for the Cincinnati Reds, I was a huge Dodgers fan. The two teams were big rivals, and I had a chance to see him play in person a number of times.

It wasn’t until I got older, that I realized what I was fortunate to have seen, one of the best players to have ever put on a uniform in the history of baseball.

Here is a look at some of his accomplishments:


More Hits than any player in the history of Baseball- 4256
More Times on Base than any player in the history of Baseball – 5929
More Games Played than any player in the History of Baseball – 3560
17 All-Star Games
World Series MVP
Rookie of the Year
2 Gold Gloves
2nd All Time in Doubles
6th All time in Runs Scored

Pete Rose is Baseball.

The reason Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame is that he has been accused of and later admitted to betting on Baseball. Although the actual betting was legal, ever since the Black Sox scandal in 1919 this offense has carried with it a life time ban from Baseball.

This decision was made to protect the integrity of the game. In 1919, players from the Chicago White Sox ( The best team in the league hands down) fixed the World Series and threw 3 games to Cincinnati. The White Sox shockingly lost the series. Although never convicted, 8 players from the team, including Shoeless Joe Jackson were banned from Baseball for life. Like Pete Rose, Joe Jackson has always been considered one of the best players to have ever played. It has never really been proven that Joe Jackson did anything to throw a game or even a single play, but he is still suspended today.

There are differences between the Black sox scandal and the issue with Pete Rose. The first is that Pete Rose was not a player at the time. He had already retired and became manager of the Cincinnati Reds. The Black sox scandal involved actual players.

The second is that he never bet on his team to lose. He always bet on his team to win. The players involved in the Black Sox scandal purposely lost to collect money on the side.

I understand that even betting on your team to win could somehow adversely effect your teams performance in other games, but there is still a big difference in betting to win or betting to lose.

I think in order to look at this logically we need to look at the playing career of Pete Rose. We need to judge him on that alone. It’s what he did on the field that made him one of the best, and is what should be honored. Lets face it, he was a horrible manager and would never be recognized for his managerial accomplishments anyway.

I hated Pete Rose when he was a player…. because he was so good. And, because he was so good, it’s why I’m rooting for him now. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.


The Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig has recently been contemplating reinstating Pete Rose, making him eligible for induction to the Hall of Fame. He’s prevented this for 20 years because he says it would hurt the integrity of the game. But what hurts Baseball more? Pete Rose not being in the Hall of Fame? Or me not being able to share memories of the greatest player I ever saw take the field with my 5 year old son?

We’ve already erased 10 years of the game because of the steroid scandals. Lets not lose another 20.

Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.