MLB Decision Could Pave Way For Pete Rose To Go Into Hall Of Fame

 

Photo by Jason Schott.

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made a monumental decision regarding whether Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other players who have been on the permanently ineligible list.

Rose, the MLB all-time hits leader who was banned for life by Commissioner Bart Giamatti after betting on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds in 1989, passed away September 30, 2024. His family filed an application for him to be removed from the list upon his death.

That, as the MLB Press Release put it, "made it incumbent upon the Office of the Commissioner to reach a policy decision on this unprecedented issue in the modern era as Mr. Rose is the first person banned after the tenure of Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis to die while still on the ineligible list. 

"Commissioner Manfred has concluded that MLB's policy shall be that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual."

In order to administer this in a uniform manner under the Major League rules, the decision applies to all 17 individuals who are posthumously on the  permanently ineligible list, in the order MLB presented it: 

Eddie Cicotte 

Happy Felsch 

Chuck Gandil 

Joe Jackson

Fred McMullin

Swede Risberg

Buck Weaver

Lefty Williams

Joe Gedeon

Gene Paulette

Benny Kauff

Lee Magee

Phil Douglas

Cozy Dolan

Jimmy O'Connell

William Cox

Pete Rose

The other name that jumps out in addition to Rose, because he should be in the Hall of Fame as well, is Shoeless Joe Jackson. His plight, that he took money to throw the 1919 World Series with his Chicago White Sox teammates, has become very well known due to the 1989 classic film "Field of Dreams," in which Jackson was portrayed by Ray Liotta, and also starred Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster.

Commissioner Manfred wrote a letter to Rose's attorney, Jeffrey M. Lenkov, in which he wrote:

In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase 'permanently ineligible' should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduced the likelihood of future violations by others. In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.

"While it is my preference not to disturb decisions made by prior Commissioners, Mr. Rose was not placed on the permanently ineligible list by Commissioner action but rather as the result of a 1989 settlement of potential litigation with the Commissioner's Office. My decision today is consistent with Commissioner Giamatti's expectations of that agreement. In the press conference announcing the settlement with Mr. Rose, Commissioner Giamatti answered a question about the effect of the settlement on Mr. Rose's potential election to the Hall of Fame:

Giamatti: "Let me - I'm glad you - I wondered when I'd be asked about the Hall of Fame. Let me say this. This episode has been about, in many ways, has been about taking responsibility, and taking responsibility for one's own acts. I know I need not point out to          the Baseball Writers of America that it is their responsibility who decides who goes into  the  Hall of Fame. It is not mine. You have the authority, and you have the responsibility.  And you will make your own individual judgments. And when they are rallied by Mr. Lang, that's, will be it. I have never, as League President or Commissioner, and would never, in this or any other instance, express an opinion about the eligibility, viability or appropriateness of any candidate for the Hall of Fame. It is entirely in your - now, you have a responsibility, which I, of course, as a devoted reader of all of you, will look forward to listening and watching your debates on the relationship of life to art, which you will all have to work out for yourselves."

"Commissioner Giamatti's comments were completely reasonable given that, at the time, the Hall of Fame did not have a rule barring people on the permanently ineligible list from Hall of Fame consideration. In fact, Shoeless Joe Jackson was afforded the opportunity to be voted upon in 1936 and again in 1946."