Playoffs Approach, Like Gambling, Potentially Exciting

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

The playoffs are approaching; the division/wildcard races are shaping up. In the American League Central, the Tribe’s got a three-game lead over the defending AL champ Detroit Tigers, Boston’s lead over the Yankees in the East stays steady, while Los Anaheim stays ahead of the potential-wildcard Mariners. In the National League, it’s a toss up in the Central between the Cubs and your Brewers. The East is still tight, too between the Mets and Phillies, while the Pads and D-backs are even in the West.

If I was a gambling man, and I’m not, I’d say that each of these contests would be exciting to bet on. I’d also say that wouldn’t make me a bad person. It’s easy for me to say that because I’m not a high-profile athlete, or high-profile anything for that matter. But it’d be exciting (personally) to drop some wagers on these season-ending battles.

I’m certain that’s how Pete Rose felt. Betting on baseball was exciting to him. Why? Because he digs baseball, and in life, everything, whether we want it to or not, hinges on money. It’s 2007, Mr. Commissioner. We, at this point in human existence, are celebrating the feats of our sports heroes more than any other time in history. Pete Rose should be no exception. He made a mistake. He was not gifted at the art of trying to fix that mistake. He was, however, gifted in the game of baseball. That, in and of itself, has Cooperstown written all over it.

Let’s lift the ban.

Gambling Addiction Not Taken As Serious As Others

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

Okay. I’m through page 45 of the report. Thus far, I’ve uncovered significant evidence of Pete Rose gambling extensively and lying about it in his deposition. It’s unclear to me what sports he’s betting on; it’s also irrelevant. What I do find important is that Pete Rose clearly has/had a gambling problem. Assuming that statement -- he was allegedly at one point $200,00-400,000 in debt to various bookies -- is true, why are we continuing to punish him for this disease when we make so many grander efforts with other afflictions everywhere, every day in our society?

Yes. I still have a lot more reading to do. I’ve not yet read anything Rose himself has published. I do know this, though. When substance-abuse users, for example, get themselves into trouble, we take steps to get them help and put them right back on the job, unless of course their punishments dictate suspension. Why is gambling different? If Pete Rose had a problem with gambling, why can we not make an effort, or at least show that we tried, to get him the help that he needs?

Perhaps these points are all moot now that Rose is in his 60s and not necessarily affiliated with the game anymore. I still think it’s important, though, to recognize the good things he accomplished on the field. As I’ve said before, other players have had issues, whether they’ve been forced to face them or not. And they get the praise and the accolades.



The guy that holds the record for the most important offensive stat in baseball, however, is still on the outside. Why, I ask you, can we not unlock the gate, and take the first step to letting him back in?

Huard, Rose Proven Winners in Own Regard, Same Style

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

The Kansas City Chiefs made the right decision. They’ve announced they’ll go, at least for the September 9 opener in Houston, with the veteran guy, Damon Huard. Head Coach Herman Edwards indicated that Huard gets the nod, because he’s the proven winner. The proven winner.

Three championships and the title as the hit king also, in my book, qualify Pete Rose as a proven winner. Only he gets no official acknowledgement of these accolades due to a ban put on him by a guy who held office for a miniscule fraction of the time Rose played professional baseball.



The continuation of the ban is a travesty. Can we at least put some feelers out there, an official statement from your office perhaps, that asks what baseball fans think? We know what a lot of them thought four years ago. A considerable amount has changed since then, though. It’s time for more serious consideration regarding this issue. Please, Mr. Commissioner, for the sake of the game. Lift the ban.

Preparedness To Win

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:


The Kansas City Chiefs have a decision to make. After dropping their third of three pre-season football games last night, the who-will-be-the-starting-quarterback debate weakens as the youngster Brodie Croyle continues to make poor decisions and throw interceptions. Last night’s opponent, the New Orleans Saints, made the Chiefs look like a team uncertain of its own identity. The Saints, be it running, passing or defending, have their football tactics honed and ready for regular-season play.


The Chiefs, however, seem far from that stage. There are great deals of steps they need to make in order to be ready for competition on Sundays. This week’s contract-extension signing of running back Larry Johnson should help. That, however, is only one facet of the game. The club has its work cut out for it if it anticipates being able to hit from both sides of the plate, if you will.


Switch-hitting, one of many talents Pete Rose had on the baseball field, translates in football to time management while in possession of the ball and keeping your defense fresh, rested and ready to make plays. Metaphorically, this is a tactic that opposing managers could never employ when preparing their hurlers to pitch to Rose, as he could push and pull the ball, regardless of the pitcher and his handedness. HBO and NFL Films’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs” attempts to cover what it takes to be ready to play the game.



A special of such a nature on Rose could be highly educational to the youth of America in learning the game of baseball. This is one more reason why the ban on Rose should be lifted.

Fine Toothing The Dowd Report, Vol. I

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

I’m a short ways into my studies of the Dowd Report. Suffice it to say that it is thus far, very interesting. My initial response is that I find it bizarre and amazing that this much energy and funds were exerted in order to finger one man’s inappropriate actions. Uninformed as I remain, I’m curious to find the underlying cause of why Pete Rose was cast so forcedly into the spotlight. I anticipate, that until I uncover more information, that this curiosity will become clearer. That said, the first 30 pages contain a lot of speculative information regarding Rose’s involvement in betting on baseball.


Numerous facts leave him guilty by association, but one must remain steadfast that facts also leave him as baseball’s all-time leader in hits. Until overwhelming evidence disproves that already-known tidbit, I’ll stay hot on the trail of Operation PutPeteIn.

Baseball Writers Display Mixed Emotions

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

In the small amount of reading I’ve done, I’ve come across some interesting quotations. The magnitude of individuals involved with Pete Rose’s circumstances has already astonished me. It would appear that Rose’s best chance to get voted in -- the Baseball Writers Association of America -- has come and gone. I learned this from a USA Today article that’s not quite as old as the others I’d come across. Rod Beaton, the article’s author, quotes several baseball writers and their varying opinions on whether or not they’d vote for Rose’s selection to Cooperstown. He cites Minneapolis Star Tribune writer La Velle Neal III as having mixed emotions. Neal writes:

"It is rather disturbing that he would use a method of making money (writing a
book) in order to admit his guilt," but later adds, “If Pete Rose is reinstated
by Major League Baseball, he should be considered for the Hall of Fame. If he's
on next year's ballot, I'd probably vote for him. He is the hit king. If we
start using character to determine who enters the Hall of Fame, you would have
to go back and re-evaluate a lot of people already in.”

This (the latter part) is a point I believe I have made before. Many athletes (including those in Major League Baseball) have made mistakes and told lies, some, it is speculated, did so before Congress, or pretended not to be able to speak English all of a sudden. I don’t mean to weigh one offense against another, but a mistake is a mistake.



It would also appear that some that would vote Rose in would prefer to wait, a sort of imposed punishment for his actions and lies. We’re going on 20 years since Giamatti’s ban, a span that’s closing in on the amount of time Rose’s professional baseball career stretched. How much time is due punishment? I’d say 18 years is a nice round number. Let’s end this before 20 and get this ban lifted.

Reading Time

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

I’ve got some reading to do. Until this point, I’ve done nothing but offer my opinion and comparisons to sports-related stories regarding Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball. Yesterday, I discovered a plethora of stories on USAToday.com. They’re all listed under the tagline of “Rose and Gambling.” They all discuss actions that’ve taken place in regard to Rose’s efforts to get back into baseball.

They also have something else in common. They’re all dated 2002.

What happened? These pieces are loaded with hints and suggestions that you were once considering liftage. No new developments?

I find that slightly difficult to believe and am curious to know what they might be, if in fact there are any. These articles suggest that there is still a significant split amongst those that feel Rose should be re-instated, those that do not, and those that have an opinion, with sub-opinions attached to them.

That said, I have large piles of texts to scour, my feeling unchanged regarding Pete Rose’s still-deserving place in baseball’s hall. Let’s make like 2002 and start the wheels of unbanishment rolling once more.