Pete Rose Granted Eligibility Into Phillies Wall of Fame
As Spring Training begins in Clearwater this week, and the Phillies embark upon another 162-game journey, a franchise great has been cleared to join the most prestigious of awards for former players: a spot on the Wall of Fame. After much controversy surrounding his banishment from the Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Pete Rose will be on the ballot for induction into a different hall, or wall as it is referred to by the folks at Citizens Bank Park.
Rose, who was banned from the game in 1989 after a gambling scandal, has attempted to have his ban revoked and to become eligible for Cooperstown. His reinstatement bid was denied in December of 2015 by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Per USA Today Sports, Manfred, in his official denial statement, cited Rose’s continued gambling and unwillingness to correct the mistakes that resulted in his banishment.
During his pre-Phillies tenure with the Cincinnati Reds, Rose made 12 all-star games, won one MVP award, two World Series Titles, a World Series MVP, and had recently become a member of the 3,000-hit club. On a Philadelphia team that was close to getting over the hump in the National League, Pete Rose filled in a gap at first base. In 1979, his first season with the team, he batted .331 and had 208 hits. However, it was his second season in which his Phillies legacy was cemented.
The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies, led by three hall-of-famers–Rose, Mike Schmidt, and Steve Carlton– won the franchise’s first World Series Championship by defeating the Kansas City Royals in 6 games. Rose played three-plus more seasons in Philadelphia before heading to Montreal, but no season was more special than the one where the Phils finally brought home their first title.
The post-Philadelphia Pete Rose was marked by both celebration (i.e. when he became baseball’s all-time hits leader in 1985) and tragedy (i.e. the aforementioned gambling scandal and resulting ban from the game), but his greatness is still very much remembered by fans of all ages. Last summer, Rose was even inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Pete Rose deserves to be distinguished as one of Philadelphia baseball’s all-time greats, despite a gambling issue that occurred nearly thirty years ago. As the “Hit King,” he should be celebrated as one of the game’s best. Rose will be on a fan voting ballot, but the team expects for him to be a part of the organization’s annual Wall of Fame ceremony. When talking about baseball, he should be revered as the holder of one of the game’s most cherished records, and what happened off the field should be repressed for another day’s discussion.
In celebration of a great individual career and a great team achievement in Philadelphia sports, it is only right that Pete Rose is eligible for induction into the Phillies Hall of Fame. Major League Baseball made the right move in allowing the Phils to honor one of their most important players.
Photo by Kjunstorm (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Categorized:Phillies