A lot of people would like to see that. Respected ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney said Rose has served enough of a penalty.
Sorry, but he hasn't. He needs about 100 more years on his sentence.
Baseball has one rule that is posted in every clubhouse at every level. You don't bet on baseball.
You like to bet? No problem. There are NCAA pools in every clubhouse right now. There's a casino right down the street from PNC Park. There are still horse and dog tracks.
Want to bet on NFL games? Go to Las Vegas, where sports betting is legal, and you can wager your next 10 paychecks.
But people who work in baseball are not allowed to bet on baseball. Rose knew that. Not only did he break the rule, he did a tap dance on it, then emptied a couple of garbage cans over it, too.
He figured he was Pete Rose, so he could get away with it. He was wrong about that.
Let's remember that Rose voluntarily signed an agreement for the lifetime ban. It was a plea bargain because Rose and his lawyers knew that MLB had the goods on him.
Let's look at the arguments in favor of his reinstatement:
--He deserves a second chance.
He might, if he'd ever shown genuine remorse or at least an understanding that what he did was profoundly wrong.
Instead, Rose lied for more than a decade and said he didn't bet on baseball.
When he finally told the truth, he tied it to the release of a book from which he hoped to profit. It wasn't contrition, it was another hustle.
--He never bet on the Reds to lose.
Does that mean he bet on his team to win 162 times a season? Rose wouldn't be foolish enough to do that.
So when he didn't bet on the Reds to win, what message did that send? As manager, would he hold back a good relief pitcher to use him in a game when he had money on the Reds to win?
--The steroid cheaters are worse than Rose.
Flawed logic. People who get pulled over for speeding like to protest that the officer writing the ticket should be out catching murderers. It doesn't change the fact the driver was breaking the law.
--It's not a Hall of Fame without the all-time hits leader.
His accomplishments are noted in the Hall of Fame. Rose-related memorabilia is in the Hall. He is not ignored, but he isn't enshrined, either.
He's on the outside looking in, which is exactly where he belongs.
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--ANY FOLLOWERS?
If Mike Johnston is riding in the lead car for a Stanley Cup parade, all will be forgotten.
Nothing with the Penguins matters until the postseason. For now, though, it's fair to wonder if the team pays much attention to its first-year coach.
Johnston said he talked to Steve Downie about avoiding foolish penalties. Hours later, Downie was hit with a pair of 10-minute misconducts in one game.
Starting quickly against Dallas was one of Johnston's points of emphasis last week. The team opened sluggishly and stayed in the game only because Marc-Andre Fleury was strong against an early onslaught from the Stars.
Johnston has told the team to keep its composure, yet Kris Letang gets easily distracted by opponents who agitate, then compounds the problem by protesting too much to referees.
Part of being a successful coach is getting players to follow instructions.
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--TACTFUL APPROACH
The current Penguins could take a lesson from Hall of Famer Ron Francis when it comes to referee discussions.
Francis favored a whine-and-follow style that was effective. Instead of yelling at the refs, he would sort of skate along with them and take the, "Aw, geez, Donnie, are you sure about that one? Kinda looked like he fell on his own."
It didn't change calls, but it made a case without infuriating referees to the point where they carried a grudge.
There's no question some officials carry over bad feelings from one game to the next. It's best not to make enemies of them.
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--MARCH MADNESS
Congratulations to the deer on their upset win over Mt. Lebanon.
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