Joe Sheehan On Pete Rose. Sheehan may root for the Yankees, but he still makes a lot of sense. After reading his recent column on Rose, I agree with him -- Rose should never be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Most of Baseball Prospectus's content requires a subscription (but it's dirt cheap for what you get), but here are some clips from Sheehan's argument:

"Here is the text of major league rule 21(d): BETTING ON BALL GAMES. Any player, umpire, or club official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform shall be declared ineligible for one year. Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.

"... As you can see by the wording of the rule, there is no distinction in the rule between the side you favor with a wager. ... Rose insists that his wagering had no impact on his decisions as Reds manager. Without even getting into the issue of his veracity--the man just lied, often and loudly, for 14 years--the problem is that the popularity of professional sports hinges entirely on the integrity of the participants. ...

"[I]t seems clear that Rose still doesn't understand what he did. He admitted to Commissioner Bud Selig that he gambled because he didn't think he would get caught, and that he lied about it because he didn't believe the punishment for his misdeeds fit the crime. ... It was only the small possibility that he actually was innocent that had been the one bullet in Rose's gun. That's gone now. Rose violated 21(d). The punishment for that is permanent ineligibility. There isn't any gray area left. ...

"Baseball should acknowledge Rose's admission, commend him for coming clean and ending his 14 years of deceit, and encourage him to take steps to repair his life. It should take a moment to thank the men who worked to root out Rose's actions and remove him from the game before he had a chance to do severe damage to it. And then it should send Rose on his way. No reinstatement, just a pointer to rule 21(d) and the fervent hope that Rose's position outside baseball will serve as a deterrent to those who would forget, even for a second, that the game is bigger than anyone. ..."