Rose's Bid for Return to Baseball Hits Snag

it seemed only a few weeks ago that Pete Rose was hustling back into baseball's good graces, he now appears to be running in place. A baseball official said yesterday that recent revelations about tax and gambling matters involving Rose had slowed the process by which Commissioner Bud Selig would determine whether to remove Rose from the permanently ineligible list.

"It has slowed down to nothing," the official said. "Rose keeps shooting himself in the foot, no, the heart. There's so much stuff coming out. Everything is being thoroughly reviewed."

Even if Rose is able to withstand the recent revelations, they will apparently have some effect on his status. The official said if Selig reinstated Rose, he would place him on probation for longer than he otherwise might have, perhaps two years.

"He would want to see what comes out," the official said. "That's why if a deal is made — and right now it's a big, big if — Rose would be on probation for a lot longer than a year."

The Rose review, more accurately the investigation, is being conducted by Martin Weinstein, a Washington lawyer with Foley & Lardner, the firm where Bob DuPuy, baseball's president and chief operating officer, is a partner.

Weinstein declined to comment yesterday on the Rose inquiry, saying he would neither confirm nor deny it. But the baseball official confirmed the involvement of Weinstein, a former assistant United States attorney in Atlanta.

Another official said baseball was trying to verify comments or behavior that would belie Rose's reported change in lifestyle.

When A. Bartlett Giamatti, then the commissioner, banned Rose in 1989, he said Rose would have to reconfigure his life to have a chance to return to baseball.

Fay Vincent, who succeeded Giamatti, and John Dowd, the Washington lawyer who led the original investigation of Rose and his alleged gambling, said yesterday that they had spoken to Weinstein several years ago.

The commissioner's office, in fact, has been looking into the Rose matter, one of the officials said, since he applied for reinstatement in September 1997.

"He came here and spent a lot of time," Vincent said of Weinstein in a telephone interview. "He spent a fair amount of time with John. He told John, if anything, he came away convinced there was more evidence since he did the investigation and that it was clear that Rose bet on baseball."

Dowd said Weinstein "checked out the Dowd report and came to see us when he was done," adding in a telephone interview, "He had some minor questions but fully agreed with everything we came up with."

Dowd said Thomas Ostertag, baseball's general counsel, joined Weinstein at the meeting, which he said lasted about half the day.

Weinstein is looking into reports that have surfaced in the last eight weeks, since Selig's Nov. 25 meeting with Rose in Milwaukee became known. "His continuing behavior makes it more complicated," one official said.

The commissioner's office, the official said, has mixed feelings about the meeting becoming public. On one hand, Selig's aides had hoped their deliberations could continue in secret, but on the other, the disclosure has produced reports that they would rather check out now than after reinstatement.

A major concern of Selig and his aides is that damaging information on Rose could emerge after his reinstatement.

Less than two weeks after the Milwaukee meeting became known, The Dayton Daily News received a copy of a tape recording that was said to have been made in 1986 by a man described as a Dayton gambling kingpin with close ties to the Mafia. The conversation on the tape dealt with Rose's gambling debts.

Last month, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Internal Revenue Service had placed a $151,690 lien on Rose's property in California for taxes he owed from 1998. Baseball could see an inability to pay taxes as a potential problem for Rose, a reason for him to gamble to try to make more money.

Other reports have told of Rose sightings at casinos in Las Vegas. That's the sort of thing Weinstein will focus on. Gambling at Las Vegas casinos is legal, but it is not an activity that would demonstrate to Selig that Rose has altered his lifestyle.

Weinstein was also said to have recently interviewed Tommy Gioiosa, once a Rose roommate, who has previously told about Rose's betting and other illegal activity.

Selig has made it clear to Rose that if he were to be reinstated, he would have to admit that he bet on baseball, an act he has denied for 13 1/2 years, since he was banned from baseball. One official said one of Rose's representatives told DuPuy about a year ago that Rose was prepared to make that admission.

Weinstein served in the Justice Department in Washington and with the United States attorney's office in Atlanta from 1988 to 1996. He then joined Foley & Lardner, where he is now head of the compliance, counseling and government enforcement group.

Rose CAN pay for this. He has the cash to do so.

Could it be that he disputes it because he disagrees with it?

In any case, the proper course is to make Rose eligible for the Hall of Fame but not for on the field restoration. Banned as a coach or manager for violations as a manager seems appropriate to me. Restored for consideration of his great player career, to include eligibility for the Hall of Fame, and/or for sitting in some radio booth commenting on games.

BUT....it's a touch embarrassing for the HOF to exist without the all time hits leader. It diminishes the Hall, in my opinion, more than admitting him would.

The suggestion to admit him to the Hall but ban him from any operational affiliation with baseball seems to strike a just compromise. The deterrent effect would remain for any current player wishing to gamble on games (NOTE: Rose was never accused of the activity as a player but as a manager), so it's not really a weakening of baseball's stance on the subject. I would also include a pass for Joe Jackson.

There are some real scumbags in the Hall of Fame. But there's no denying they were great ballplayers. The absence of someone with Rose's accomplishments strikes me as absurd.

Because he gets a large check for every bit of baseball junk that he signs. He has major ad contracts, because he's on the speaking circuit, because baseball has a retirement plan, and because he made a mountain of money when he was active.

I'm from Cincy. He's still very popular around here.

I see, so he is a liar as well. I ate at the same restaurant that is in his name in Boca Raton a few years back. My opinion of his behavior? Rude to the patrons in a cold manner. Told the female server that she should lose weight if she is going to serve him his food. The girl ended up crying as I guess he needed to feel good in front of his surgically enhanced blonde girlfriend (not very pretty mindful). His son is a 4th-rate ball player to boot, yet he is in the game due to his fathers name only.

If it were me, this low-class liar has no business being admitted onto the Hall ballot.

There are certain standards to adhere to, Mr. Bird. Violating the sanctity of Baseballs best Shrine has to have rules and regulations needing to be upheld. If someone knew they can get away with some crime without permanent repurcussions, that crime would be increasingly committed. Baseballs jailtime is disbarrment from the HOF.

I understand your point, but disagree. First of all, the HOF is NOT part of MLB. It could (but won't) change its eligibility requirements tomorrow, without Selig's or anyone else's approval. Baseball's "jailtime", as you put it, is to ban someone for life from participating in the sport, in any fashion.

MLB has already showed it will stick to principle only to a certain degree, such as when a major credit card company wishes to have Rose present during an over-hyped All-History team or Greatest Moments spectacle. That's fine, and it's MLB prerogative. But it doesn't take a genius to see the disconnect here.

So he can be recognized on an MLB sanctioned All-Century Team, and his 4,131st hit can go down as a top ten moment in the history of the game, but his presence in the Hall is verboten?

Like I said, keep him banned from the game for life, but recognize him in the Hall. Until that is done, he will be the Big Red Elephant in the room every summer in Cooperstown.

There is no disagreement for his place in history, I am with you on that. His disbarrment from the HOF and his current barrment of the baseball games are perfect. This would deter him from being on the field for further prevention of his crimes.

Other roles he partakes in is fine as it further demonstrates the significance the game, not him, but the game has brought to our country. Agian, no one stands above the rules/regulations of baseball. Not even the "attempted" kidnapping of Louisiana Lightning Ron Guidry during the 1977 at the hotel elevator...:)

...major credit card company wishes to have Rose present during an over-hyped All-History team or Greatest Moments spectacle...//...it doesn't take a genius to see the disconnect here

I agree that there is a disconnect, but I disaree with MLB's decision to let him into the park for those ceremonies. Let him watch on TV

I know the HOF is not a part of MLB, but they like to think they are. They are very careful not to offend because (a) MLB is the main source for their collection and (b) having players and ex-players come to Cooperstown for various functions helps build business and image. If MLB says "no Pete Rose in the Hall," Pete Rose ain't going in.

The HOF is the highest honor in baseball (even if it technically isn't "in" baseball); you don't give your highest honor to someone who is banned. I wish they would stop waffling and just tell him to go away.

I've decided that from now on I'm just going to pretend he doesn't exist. My official reaction is now, "Pete who?."

Never let him in the HOF

The only reason we watch sports is because the outcome is unknown. Quite simply, if one,two, or three paticipants let the other team win for financial gain or other reasons, there is no suspense of who will prevail, hence, there is no sport.

Also, Rose never has and IMO never will admit to betting on baseball, which shows his complete disrespect for the game which was his livelyhood.

I agree with the others - Rose should never be allowed into the Hall of Fame, whether it's officially associated with the sport or not, and whether it's conspicuous not having a major stat leader kept out. Look at Shoeless Joe Jackson - you'd think that he'd have been enough of a deterrant for other players, but it'll have to be Rose who is the reminder.

People forget (speaking from an historical perspective - I'm only 32) how huge the Black Sox scandal was, and how close it came to killing off baseball (save for Babe Ruth). If the credibility of this or any sport should ever be seriously questioned, a major part of Americana will die. A recent analogy is what has been happening with the Russian hockey players, who had been forced to give over a large part of their salaries to protect their families from the Russian mob. If it looked like those players were throwing games, hockey itself would die.

Pete Rose knew the rules and blatantly broke them, and ridiculously refused to own up to it. The punishment, especially for how important his "legacy" his to him (insert Bill Clinton reference here).

Joe Jackson was a moron, intellectually , but even he shouldn't be excused anymore than Al Cicotte should be because "I done it for my wife and kiddies". Rose had no excuse, and the fact that he gambled while he was a manager does not change a thing. I have been to the HOF on numerous occasions and his absence has not stricken me greatly.

I think Rose has extended himself to the max. His only real income is the ballcard signings, the baseball pension (which can't be more than $40k per year), and whatever nest egg he stuck away. This guy was addicted to gambling and I think he still has the habit. He isn't the rich guy we all think he is.

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