Elephant Rumblings: Pete Rose reinstated

MLB news roundup

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

I’m off to Dodger Stadium tonight to see my first A’s game of the post-Oakland era! I’m very excited, and as someone whose loyalty to the green and gold has been somewhat tested by The Big Move, I’m happy to say that today my heart is still with these plucky young Athletics and I will be cheering them on tonight as they bid to take another big series on the road.

The Oakland A’s made six World Series appearances and won four of them. The first and last of them were against the Cincinnati Reds; the latter in 1990 was swept by the Reds while the first championship of the Oakland era was secured in 1972 in a breathtakingly close 4-3 series in which all of the A’s victories were won by a single run against a different Reds team that included Pete Rose.

Rose enjoyed a massively successful career and remains the all-time MLB career hits leader—only the mythical Ty Cobb comes close to “Charlie Hustle” in that category. Rose’s on field play easily merits a spot in the Hall of Fame, but he became known to hustle off the field in some unsavory ways—most notably, he eventually admitted to betting on Reds games when he served as the team’s manager. This ultimately got him banned for life from baseball and HOF consideration.

Rose died last September, just one day after the Oakland Athletics played their final game. And this spring, a long running campaign by attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov to get Rose reinstated finally prevailed, as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated the 17-time All-Star, making him eligible for the Hall.

MLB’s decision is not limited to Rose, it changes the definition of a “permanent” ban to a lifetime ban. Fifteen other deceased players and one owner have now also been posthumously reinstated. The most prominent names are Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, a legendary White Sox outfielder who was banned alongside several teammates for throwing the 1919 World Series.

Manfred’s rationale for reinstatement appears to essentially be that a lifetime ban is likely an equally effective deterrent as a truly permanent ban, and that a dead person can’t represent a threat to the game’s integrity. He also emphasized that the question of Rose’s actual Hall of Fame induction will be up to the Hall itself—to this point Rose has been ineligible for consideration, and HOF committee members could still cast prejudicial “no” votes and deny induction, should the nays prevail.

I don’t necessarily fully agree with Manfred’s logic here, and I don’t think that Rose was a positive role model by any stretch. But I’m not sure there aren’t “worse” people who have already been enshrined— Ty Cobb himself was reputed to be a nasty fellow, though I don’t know enough specifics to have a strong opinion about his virtues.

Whether he’s enshrined in Cooperstown or not, I hope that Rose will be portrayed warts and all as a significant but troubled figure in baseball history. It’s a complicated matter to say the least, so let’s get into the weeds in the comments below, shall we?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s ride five homers to 11-1 win over Dodgers
• A’s roster moves: Otañez activated, Alexander recalled
• Seasons Like 2012 Offer Important Reminders
• A’s prospect making ‘Jump’ to Double-A

MLB News & Interest:

• Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB
• Rosenthal: Rob Manfred’s decision to reinstate Pete Rose raises questions about what’s next ($)
• MLB Power Rankings: Cubs, Rays struggle, Twins make a big leap; It’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ week ($)
• Dodgers Place Roki Sasaki On Injured List
• Dodgers To Activate Clayton Kershaw On Saturday
• Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List
• Royals Sign Rich Hill To Minor League Deal
• Pirates’ Paul Skenes to pitch for Team USA in 2026 World Baseball Classic ($)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Roster moves.

Those are some nasty splits.

Oh, I won’t.

I won’t forget this guy either.

Awwww.