PGA Golf Championship / Pete Rose
Hear it here!
They say the cream rises to the top.
At last week’s PGA Golf Championship, the second major this season’s Grand Slam, the wait lasted until the third round. Then, the world’s #1, lurking three shots back at the halfway mark, did what he has done so often, turn on the jets.
Scottie Scheffler carded a sensational 65 at tricky Quail Hollow in Charlotte, vaulted into the lead and it seemed that the ultimate result was a foregone conclusion.
An eagle and three birdies in the last five holes gave Scheffler a three-stroke advantage and it appeared victory was inevitable for him.
But a combination of a 2-over-par front nine and the on-charging performances of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau instilled a semblance of drama in the championship that had
been missing, and in reality never materialized.
The two challengers failed to make any kind of a run and the world’s best went about his business and won going away by five shots, capturing his third major title.
It was fitting Scheffler came out on top when 12 months ago at the PGA Championship he was in a jail cell after he was arrested the morning before the second round outside the Valhalla golf course grounds for disobeying a police officer’s instructions during a traffic snarl.
What a difference a year makes, for sure.
There was also heightened interest going in for Rory McIlroy, fresh from his ultra-dramatic Masters triumph, but the Irishman never could get it going and wound up tied for 47th. Their biggest noise from McIlroy came when a horn indicating suspension of play due to weather in the third round blared creating displeasure from the golfer.
The news that Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, along with other deceased players, were now eligible to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, revived a story and a question that amazingly has never gone away.
Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?
Rose is the all-time leader in base hits, and Jackson was involved in the 1919 Black Sox betting scandal. Rose was banned from the Hall in 1989 after an investigation revealed that as manager of the Cincinnati Reds he had bet on MLB games.
Rose at first denied he made a single bet, then admitted he bet on games but never placed one against his team.
No one knows whether he did or not, but the fiery Rose never helped his cause by continuing to make gambling and casino appearances. I don’t believe any one doubts that Pete Rose had a penchant for gambling on sporting events, but I don’t believe it’s a cut and dried matter.
On the field, Rose had a career for the ages. He competed in every game as if it were his last and left the sport as the major league career leader in base hits with 4,256.
He played in the most games, had the most at-bats, and singles. Three times he was on teams that won the World Series. But these are merely statistics, impressive as they are, to his style when he stepped onto a baseball field.
He was brutally competitive, exciting to watch, and performed to the ultimate every single day.
Charlie Hustle was his nickname and that was an understatement to the way he played.
He was the symbol of the way the game should be.
So in returning to the question. “Should Pete Rose be inducted into the Hall of Fame?” I always felt he should. Here’s why.
If a father took a young boy to Cooperstown, NY and asked his dad who had the most base hits in baseball history, the man who had that honor should be recognized.
He should be saluted with all the mementos, including a plaque telling his story.
But the plaque should indicate that Rose was involved in a gambling scandal as a manager. As a player he was something else. And he should be recognized for his playing achievements.
The same story goes for those who were banned for using performance enhancing drugs during that time. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and others did amazing things as players. Yes, they broke the rules, but does anyone really think taking PED’s were the REASON they were great players? I don’t.
And I still wonder why those who didn’t need any help to boost their play, like cyclist Lance Armstrong, went in that direction. Perhaps others, but not the superstars.
Puzzling.
By the way, Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado was suspended just last week for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Do we think that era is gone forever?
Great players should be recognized for being distinguished.
But it should be done with the up-front and honest revelation of the “dark side” of their careers. And it should be reflected on their placques that all Hall of Famers have.
On the gambling issue that kept Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame, I have to point to the great hypocrisy that exists. We turn thumbs down on athletes who have been guilty of gambling, but we promote betting now at every turn in every sport.
It is encouraged by teams, leagues and television networks.
Do we not think we are on the precipice of a possible major gambling scandal with the open practice to bet that now is the rule, not the exception?
In wrapping up, we know that Pete Rose passed away last September at the age of 83.
He will now be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2027 when the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era Committee will vote on his candidacy.
To me, honoring deceased players in the Hall of Fame is a good thing for those who failed to garner enough votes earlier but had distinguished careers.
In Pete Rose’s case, this decision to open the doors for him is a hollow triumph.
He won’t be around to see it, and as one of the truly great PLAYERS in baseball history, he should have been inducted long before this.
Just one man’s opinion.
