As pitchers and catchers make their way to Spring Training in Florida and Arizona next week, this signifies the commencement of another Major League Baseball season. Since baseball is the first sport I played as a kid, it holds a special place in my heart. I remember watching Charlie Hustle, Pete Rose’s nickname, thinking, “that’s the way this game is suppose to be played.” Unfortunately, Pete’s transgressions as a manager, placing bets on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, has tarnished his image, making Rose ineligible for the Hall of Fame and banished from MLB.
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses,” Mark 11:25.
I played baseball for nine years, quitting after my sophomore year of high school to pursue golf. However, my last coach played in the minor leagues with Pete Rose before blowing out his knee prior to ACL surgeries. This injury motivated Coach Dillon to push his players, hoping one or more might reach the big leagues. To my surprise, Pete Rose agreed to be our key note speaker at my final baseball banquet. After major reconstructive surgery, I met with Pete for about five minutes before he spoke. While everyone has their opinions of Pete in the media, he couldn’t have been nicer or more sincere. This lasting memory makes me want to see a happy ending between Rose and Major League Baseball.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you, Ephesians 4:32.
Sometimes pride prevents adults from doing the right thing. Bad feelings, egos and revenge often get’s in the way, causing individuals to take grudges to their graves. Thus, there is a segment of baseball people who still blame Pete Rose for commissioner Bart Giamatti’s death in 1989, the person who banned him for life. Though Rose deserves to be banned from coaching and the front office, it doesn’t make sense to keep the all times hits leader out of the hall of fame. Therefore, for Pete’s sake, don’t let this linger until his death like Shoeless Joe Jackson during the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Rather, make Pete Rose eligible for the hall and allow the baseball writers to make the final call. Let me know if you agree or disagree.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 