(RightIsRight.co) – Reigniting the debate over baseball’s most significant snub, President Trump announced he would pardon legendary sports icon Pete Rose.
Trump announced he would soon sign a posthumous pardon for the MLB’s all-time hit leader, challenging the establishment that has kept an American sports icon out of the Hall of Fame despite his unmatched achievements.
Trump revealed his intentions to pardon Rose in a social media post, directly confronting the decades-old ban that has kept one of baseball’s greatest players out of Cooperstown.
Rose, who passed at 83, was baseball’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs (10,328) – achievements that dwarf many current Hall of Fame members.
The lifetime ban stemmed from Rose’s gambling on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds from 1985-87.
MLB and Rose agreed to the permanent ban in 1989, but Trump highlighted a crucial distinction that many baseball purists have long argued in Rose’s case.
Trump commented:
“Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on his team winning. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history.”
Rose’s ban has always been controversial among baseball fans, especially as other sports have embraced gambling partnerships while continuing to punish Rose posthumously.
The Hall of Fame rules were specifically changed in 1991 to prevent those on baseball’s permanently ineligible list from appearing on hall ballots, a move widely seen as directly targeting Rose.
Meanwhile, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is reviewing a petition from Rose’s family to remove him from the league’s ineligible list.
In December, Manfred met with Rose’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lenkov, and Rose’s eldest daughter, Fawn Rose.
The commissioner previously rejected Rose’s reinstatement bid in 2015, continuing baseball’s hard line against the legendary player.
Trump’s pardon would represent a significant symbolic gesture recognizing Rose’s extraordinary contributions to America’s pastime.
While John Dowd, who investigated Rose for MLB, claimed the league is “not in the pardon business nor does it control admission to the HOF,” Trump’s action would place enormous public pressure on baseball to reconsider its position.
Rose’s career spanned from 1963 to 1986, primarily with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was a cornerstone of the “Big Red Machine” that dominated baseball in the 1970s.
His intense playing style earned him the nickname “Charlie Hustle,” and his record-breaking 4,256 career hits remain untouchable in today’s game.
Ultimately, Trump’s actions continue his pattern of challenging establishment institutions that many Americans feel have overstepped their bounds.
For baseball purists and fair-minded fans, the pardon represents long-overdue recognition that Rose’s on-field accomplishments deserve to be properly honored.
This is especially true considering that he only bets on his own team to win—never against them or with any intention of losing games.
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