by Dino Ciliberti

Created on: February 22, 2009

Pete Rose is baseball.

It's pure and simple. The man played the game with a passion that few could match.

Think about it? Who slams into the catcher in an All-Star Game just to score a run?

That was Pete Rose, who barreled over Ray Fosse.

Who is so focused on the biggest baseball stage - The World Series - that he goes near the stands and just happens to be next to the catcher when the ball pops out of his glove?

That was Pete Rose, grabbing the second out in the 1980 World Series while he was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Who would go head-first diving into third base or bounce the ball after the third out of an inning on the astroturf? And who ever runs to first base on a walk.

The answer, over and over again, my friends is the same. It's Pete Rose.

How could this man not be in the Hall of Fame? He has left so much sweat on the field. Even betting on baseball showed his passion - Rose just couldn't get enough of it.

The Hall of Fame is determined by what players did on the field in terms of performance. As a player, Pete Rose gave 130 percent. He set the all-time hits record. He won World Championships. He pushed teammates like Mike Schmidt to new heights.

When you look at steroids, that impacts performance. Pete Rose played the game hard and played it right. He played the game like it's meant to be played: to play it like a kid does, for the sheer love of the sport.

His career lasted for a long time and maybe he should have called it quits a year or so earlier. But Pete Rose couldn't quit baseball. Pete Rose is baseball.

For anyone who grew up watching hm, you just hated him - because he was that good.

When he became a Philadelphia Phillie, I cheered. I knew my team was finally going to reach the Promised Land because Pete Rose was going to put them over the top. He did and a World Series didn't come to Philly for another 28 years.

Pete Rose has paid his debt. He has done his time for the crime. Yes, he made a mistake betting on baseball. He's served jail time and basically has been banished from the game he loves for a long time. He finally admitted that he was wrong. He's written a book acknowledging his mistakes and stating his regrets.

What more can the man do?

Isn't it high time that everyone can give this baseball great a second chance and a spot in the cherished corridors of Cooperstown. His play earned it. And that's what the Baseball Hall of Fame is all about.

Learn more about this author, Dino Ciliberti.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.