Isn't it Time?

There was a story this week, quickly shot down by the Commissioner's office, that Pete Rose's reinstatement was imminent.
I say it's time and the Commissioner should do it.
It has been 20 years since Rose was banned "for life" from baseball. I don't think anyone really thought it would be a lifetime ban. Some stories were that he would be out one, maybe two years and then reinstated. Then Bart Giamatti, the Commissioner who imposed the ban, died. Many of his allies blamed the stress of the Rose situation for his fatal heart attack. It began to appear that only Giamatti had the power to reinstate Rose and with Giamatti gone...
Rose certainly has not helped himself over the past 20 years. First, his insistence on his innocence despite all evidence to the contrary. Second, he only made the admission of guilt in a book and gladly accepted the receipts from book sales. Third, he continued to taunt baseball by showing up and selling memorabilia near the Hall of Fame on induction weekend. Yes, Rose managed to make himself an unsympathetic figure.
But he has served more time for his "crime" than many have for far worse. Gambling on baseball is the unpardonable sin due to the 1919 White Sox fixing a World Series. There has never been a charge that Rose bet against his team or tried to fix games. It appears that he bet on his team, when he was a manager, to win. Yes, if he had money riding on the game he may have managed differently. He might go to his closer earlier than normal. He might adjust his strategy to try and get that win today without regard for the rest of the series or season. Still, it does not appear that he ever tried to throw games. I think that is a distinction worth noting.
By banning Rose however, baseball has tried to pretend he does not exist. Those 4256 hits make that impossible. Any highlight reel from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s has to include Rose. An All Star at five different positions, leader of the Big Red Machine and member of a Phillies championship team (and who can forget that memorable half season in Montreal?). He was baseball's biggest star for 20 years. Baseball cannot pretend it never happened.
The Hall of Fame voters, now limited to the Veteran's Committee, should have the chance to vote on Rose. Give him a limited reinstatement. Ban him from major league clubhouses. require him to do community service work on behalf of Major League baseball and include a notation on his Hall of Fame plaque (should he be voted in) about the 20 year ban for gambling.
That Rose broke baseball's cardinal rule should not be expunged from the history of the game, but neither should he. It has been 20 years. It is time.

Baseball Odds and Ends

As we near the end of July and the trading deadline approaches, a few thoughts on the 2009 season.

First, boy was I was off on the Oakland A's. I had them picked to go to the World Series. They are locked on last place in the A.L. West and just made the inevitable trade of their best player to a contender. I said it was an "odd hunch". Frankly it was just nuts.

I seem a little off on the A.L. Central where I had Minnesota. While not dead yet, this race looks like the Twins watching the Tigers and White Sox battle it out.

I seem to have the A.L. East and N.L. West right (Dodgers and Yankees). I clearly underestimated the Cardinals in the N.L. Central, but this is still a good four team race.

Now on to the trading deadline. The big players is Roy Halladay. As of tonight the Blue Jays G.M. says he is not going anywhere which means he'll be traded tomorrow. I don't like the idea of the Dodgers ripping apart their roster to get him. Minor leaguers, fine, but when I start hearing Billingsley, Martin or Loney, I get nervous. The Dodgers are in first place by eight games, don't try to reinvent your lineup and clubhouse in late July.

The Blue Jays however, may be overplaying their hand. Yes, they don't have to trade him. They can have this same auction next July and still do pretty well, but by waiting they risk injury to Halladay and a dropping price tag. A few years ago the Washington Nationals tried to gut several teams' farm system in a trade for Alfonso Soriano and ended up blowing all of their leverage. The Blue Jays might do that here.

Speaking of big time pitchers (well, former big time pitchers) Jason Schmidt returned to the mound for the Dodgers. Schmidt, with his $47 million contract, has not pitched in the majors since 2007. He had a reasonably effective start first time out, then got knocked around today.

I will say this for Schmidt, it would have been real easy to coast through rehabilitation and collect the checks. The guys has worked his way back and pitched at such outposts as San Bernardino and Albuquerque. I tip my hat to him for staying with it. He will never be the pitcher he was, but he did not just take the money and mail it in.

Finally, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice went into the Hall of Fame today. Two great players, one great quote machine (Rickey). Congratulations.

All Stars

The baseball All Star game is still the best of all professional all star games. The Pro Bowl in football is glorified touch football which mostly serves as an excuse to use the remaining nachos and beer left from Super Bowl Sunday. The N.B.A. all star game is certainly flashier, but the ridiculously high scores and lack of defense make it a dunk exhibition.
The baseball All Star game is real baseball. Yes, they probably don't go as hard into second base to break up the double play and, Pete Rose excepted, they don't take out the catcher on a play at the plate, but the pitches are real and the swings are true.
Last night baseball really scored. They got the President to throw out the first pitch. As an aside, I admire his willingness to wear his favorite team's (White Sox) colors. Some politicians seem to lose their allegiance in the name of "broadening their base". The President seems willing to lose the votes of Cubs fans to stay true to his team.
Baseball also got a tight 4-3 game played in two hours and thirty one minutes. Yes, some kids on the East Coast probably still had to go to bed before the final out, but I bet more kids across the country got to see the whole game. That is good for baseball.
The game also showcased a lot of good young talent. As we leave the steroids era, the shadows of Bonds, Clemens and Sosa seem to fade, at least from the All Star game. Also, while it is nice to see guys nearing the end of their careers get one last turn in the midsummer's classic, it is better to see the rising stars of the game and last night featured a lot of them. The vets who were there, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera come to mind, were there on merit. Otherwise, fans get to see Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Chad Billingsley, Ryan Braun and a host of others who should rule the game for the next 5-10 years.
The winning run scored in a fashion that a true fan loves. A triple by a speedy Curtis Granderson and a sacrifice fly to bring him home. Classic baseball. A game decided not by a 450 foot blast setting off fireworks, but by a guy doing what needed to be done to get the run across.
Baseball had a good night last night.