http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4358260Pete Rose is easily the greatest athlete of my lifetime. I saw him dozens of times at Crosley Field and Riverfront, plus hundreds of games on TV and radio. Almost every time I was at the stadium, he would do something in the game that would make you shake your head and say that was worth the price of admission. Whether it was taking an extra base, throwing behind a runner, doing
something through sheer hustle that you did not think possible. He could never have fixed a game, because he could not play any other way than 100%. He was from another generation. I remember an interview he did with Waite Hoyt, when he said his dream was to be the first singles hitter to make $100,000.
Anyway, people have a strong argument that he should be barred from the Hall of Fame due to the gambling controversy. I would say that if that's true, then not one player from the past thirty years should be inducted, because every single one of them is very likely to have accumulated his stats on the strength of steroids, bennies, and HGH.
