Monday, March 26, 2007

Pete Rose has a new spin on his gambling habit. The man who for a decade
swore that he never bet on baseball, then admitted that he did so on
occasion, now says he bet on every game the Cincinnati Reds played during
his five years as manager. Major League Baseball's unequivocal ban on
gambling is posted in every clubhouse. It's as fundamental as fielding a
grounder. So why would Rose now admit he broke the rule 814 times? The only
conclusion is that he somehow thinks the new story will help him rejoin the
game's official family and get the Hall of Fame plaque he so desperately
craves. When John Dowd investigated Rose for MLB, he detected a clear
pattern: Rose, he said, never bet the Reds when Mario Soto or Bill
Gullickson pitched. That's the kind of tip to other gamblers that baseball
rightly fears. So Charlie's new hustle is to recast his gambling as evidence
of love for his team. Sorry, Pete, but no one who really loved his team and
his game would have violated their integrity repeatedly. Care to try again?