Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition by Pete Rose’s family to have him posthumously removed from baseball’s ineligible list. I say, “No, don’t do it.”

Rose bet on baseball while he was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and in fact, bet on the Reds. Not only did he do it, but he also denied doing it and lied about it for many years, never once owning up to it while given an opportunity to be previous MLB commissioners. Manfred has said that Rose, failed to “present credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”

Rose later admitted to what he had done, but it was after he had written an autobiography that detailed his gambling problems.

So, what is different now?

First of all, Rose is now dead. He died in September of last year at the age of 83. Manfred and others seem to think the “lifetime ban” is literal and that it ends with the person’s death. That is why Manfred is willing to reconsider. Plus, Rose’s daughter and his lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov, filed a new reinstatement petition, and met with Manfred last December. They are seeking to put Rose in a position to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Another factor in this is that President Trump said in a social media post over the weekend that he intends to posthumously pardon Rose. Basically, the only thing the President could pardon would be Rose’s conviction for tax evasion and his five-month prison sentence he served in the early 1990s.

There were also allegations brought against Rose by a woman who claimed he had a sexual relationship with her in the 1970s when she was under the age of consent. Those allegations never produced criminal charges, but an ultimately dismissed civil suit included a sworn affidavit from the woman.

However, the pardon by the President would have no bearing on Rose’s status with MLB. It doesn’t exonerate the fact that he bet on the sport in which he was involved.

Although the National Baseball Hall of Fame is a separate entity from Major League Baseball, the Hall adopted a policy now called the “Pete Rose Rule,” that anyone who is on the MLB ineligible list can not be placed on the Hall of Fame ballot. So, even if Manfred and MLB reinstate Rose it doesn’t mean he could, or would, get elected to the Hall of Fame.

Based solely on his performance on the field, Rose most definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He is still the all-time hits leader; he won three World Series and three batting titles and was voted to the All-Star team 17 times.

His name should remain prominently in the record books, but no plaque should depict his likeness in the Hall of Fame. If he wasn’t worthy while he was still alive, he’s not worthy now. Besides, it would almost seem like a crime for MLB to reinstate Rose now, when he can’t even enjoy and celebrate it. Unfortunately, Rose did what he did and was given baseball’s punishment that fit the crime, and in my opinion, that goes beyond one’s lifetime.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national level guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. My guests this week are rescheduled from a couple weeks ago, Jim Lewis, the author of the book The Truth About the Tribulation, and Joya Fadeley from Mend Medical Services The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.