Redemption Takes As Long As Paying Off A Mortgage, Apparently

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:

It is my humble opinion that Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore has, thus far, done a superb job leading the organization. From day one, Moore indicated that the franchise would be re-built via pitching and fine-tuning the farm systems, and he appears to have kept his word. Coming off an impressive road trip, the Royals opened a four-game series against the New York Yankees, the hottest team in baseball, and the hometown boys did not fare well. They got trounced 9-2, 9-4, and 7-1 in the first three games, but they mustered a bit of redemption in the finale with a seven-run shutout victory.


Starting pitcher Jorge de la Rosa worked five and one-half innings before turning the game over to Zach Greinke and ultimately Joakim Soria; all three pitched well. And Alex Gordon was one single shy of hitting for the cycle. The team effort was refreshing and aided in minimizing the pain of the Monday-Wednesday losses. It was, in fact, redeeming.


Redemption is a word that often gets thrown around in the circles of sports and religion. I’m not sure what kind, if any, of faith Pete Rose adheres to, but I’m certain that the god of any faith would insist that his followers allow for a chance at redemption. I wonder why Major League Baseball won’t give Rose that chance. Is the league embarrassed by his age-old mistakes? Are the people that run it stubborn? Faithless? One would hope not. One would wish that those in power of the biggest league associated with America’s pastime might have some sense of good faith and forgiveness. One would hope, but 18 years later, A. Bartlett Giamatti’s ruling still stands. Pete Rose belongs in Cooperstown.