It sounds mean, but Pete Rose served his lifetime ban.
After the recent passing of the all-time hits leader, the court of public opinion is now in session on one of the sport's biggest questions and most debated topics - should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?
We all know the stances and varied degrees of opinion on this by now. Rose committed the biggest and most unforgivable crime in the game (and in all sports) - gambling not just on the game, but on your own team. That’s sanctimonious to the integrity of everything that is MLB.
And there is the other side - watching baseball evolve into a product that pushes gambling on billboards, commercials, and a staple of the fan experience, yet, retrospectively keeping one of the sport's most salient record holders guilty for the same thing that is now exercised heavily.
The Hall of Fame of Fame standards have been criticized as we deal with the aftermath of the steroid era and the other major elephant on the field - Barry Bonds being left out of Cooperstown as well for a sin that carried blame among many others. A sport built on tradition, records, and numbers, with the two most important records of hits and home runs not being included in official recognition does integral harm in linking past, present, and future. Again, that thread is what makes baseball such a beautiful thing.
Surely, in a posthumous world without Rose, many are filled with emotion and erring on the latter - baseball needs to readjust to the ethics it has moved the goalposts on.
However, the discussion may be for discussion's sake, something we've become too accustomed to in today's sports landscape. Rose outright served his lifetime ban. While involved in fringe parts of the game with broadcasts or the occasional "analyst" role, he never got closer to the game in a impactful manner. He was never reinstated in baseball. He truly did serve his due.
At this point, the past cannot be changed. And for some who believe the ban should have been corrected or changed, it's a moot point.
It’s time.
It’s time to place Rose where he belongs in the Hall of Fame. And while he cannot see his day in Cooperstown, we can all agree that maybe - just maybe - the right (and agreeable) thing to do is indeed before us.
The fulfillment of his punishment for an unforgivable crime in the game has been paid. A celebration of his contributions to the sport and honoring his legacy - with the complexity that it was and is - is necessary for the Rose family and for the history and ethical fabric of the game.
It’s time. He has served his punishment. Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.