by Juan Leer

Created on: January 21, 2007   Last Updated: June 23, 2009

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is one of the most hallowed places in all of sports. It houses well over a hundred years of amazing baseball history, and most of baseball's biggest stars in the history of the game are enshrined there. One of the most heated debates in the baseball world centers around whether or not Pete Rose should be allowed in the Hall of Fame. He was banned for baseball for gambling, and as a result he can't be inducted into baseball's hallowed shrine. But there is still a lot of questions and debate surrounding it. In my opinion, no, Pete Rose should not be in the Hall of Fame. I believe baseball has decided right in choosing to keep Rose out of the Hall of Fame.

After 15 years or so of publicly denying he ever bet on baseball, he finally did confess what he had done... by writing a book about it to make money. He did not publicly apologize or show any remorse for violating baseball's most serious code, he simply wrote about it in a book so that he could make a little money out of it.. He also gave an interview with Jim Gray in 1999, where he also showed no remorse or regret for what he did to get banned from baseball:

"Jim Gray: Pete, now let me ask you. It seems as though there is an opening, the American public is very forgiving. Are you willing to show contrition, admit that you bet on baseball and make some sort of apology to that effect?

Pete Rose: Not at all, Jim. I'm not going to admit to something that didn't happen. I know you're getting tired of hearing me say that. But I appreciate the ovation. I appreciate the American fans voting me on the All-Century Team. I'm just a small part of a big deal tonight.

Jim Gray: With the overwhelming evidence in that report, why not make that step...

Pete Rose: No. This is too much of a festive night to worry about that because I don't know what evidence you're talking about. I mean, show it to me..."

He knew the penalty for betting on baseball, he bet on baseball, he agreed to be permanently banned from baseball... I don't see what the debate is about? He was permanently banned from the game... how can you "serve your punishment" when the punishment is to be banned for life? After Pete Rose publicly denied over and over that he bet on baseball, which is the worst thing you can do in baseball, he finally came clean... when he was writing a book about it to make money. He showed absolutely no remorse and no indication that he regrets what he did.

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