Frank Thomas says Pete Rose should be in Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame slugger and Chicago White Sox great Frank Thomas believes the all-time hit king, Pete Rose, should be in the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, according to comments he made in a recent article by CBS Sports.
Thomas, who played 16 seasons with the White Sox and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, gave a straightforward and honest answer to CBS Sports Baseball Writer Matt Snyder about the embattled Rose.
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The Big Hurt was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, gaining 83.7-percent of the vote. Thomas finished his White Sox career with 448 home runs (521 career home runs).
Snyder quoted Thomas in the CBSSports.com article with the following comments about Rose by the all-time home run leader of the White Sox:
"“What he did on the field was worthy of the Hall of Fame. Yes, he made a huge mistake and he’s been living his life trying to repair that. Based upon what he did on the field, I believe he should be in the Hall of Fame.”"
We all know Rose admitted to betting on baseball as the manager of the Reds, and it has come out recently he also bet on baseball as a player for the Reds late in his career.
Sep 6, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pete Rose of the Big Red Machine takes the field after the Reds 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
In ’89, Rose was banned from baseball, and though he did admit to betting baseball as a manager, he’s never admitted to doing the same thing as a player.
Rose, who totaled 4,256 career hits, will most likely never be reinstated back to the game of baseball, meaning he can’t be eligible to be elected to the baseball hall. That is the feeling given by baseball writers and those involved in the game.
Though I don’t agree with all of the off-the-field endeavors of Rose, he is the all-time hit king, and he did play the game the way all of us would like to see some of the current White Sox players to play on a daily basis, so for his play alone, like Thomas said, he deserves to be in the Hall.
Plus, if a Hall of Famer like Thomas, who has great credentials in the game and is a stand-up type of person, says Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, who are we to argue?
Do I think Rose should be allowed to manage or coach at any level of baseball?
No, but a Hall of Fame selection is all I could ever give Rose because of his past.
If you had a vote, would you vote Rose back in baseball? Let us know what you think on the Rose situation.