Rozner: Sadly, Pete Rose has only himself to blame

Credit Rob Manfred with keeping an open mind.

The new commissioner of baseball is nothing like his predecessors and, frankly, nothing like the image Manfred portrayed as he did Bud Selig's dirty work.

Manfred was willing to listen to Pete Rose and he took a year exploring the possibilities. The guess here is Manfred was seriously trying to find a way to make Rose eligible for a Hall of Fame vote, almost certainly by the Expansion Era Committee since he wasn't going to get on the writers' ballot.

The commissioner even may have thought about allowing Rose employment in some ceremonial fashion, as a team ambassador or full-time autograph signer. But Rose's history of gambling and dishonesty made it impossible for MLB to put him close to the game in any way, fearing he would embarrass baseball again.

Still, the commissioner tried.

Rose is - at worst - a top-20 player in the history of the game, and the opinion here was always that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame for his career achievements, absent evidence that he bet on the game as a player.

What he did as a manager was obviously wrong and broke the rules, but to deny him the Hall after what he accomplished as a player felt wrong, and perhaps Manfred felt the same way.

In his statement Monday, Manfred opened the door to the Hall a crack when he wrote, "It is not a part of my authority or responsibility here to make any determination concerning Mr. Rose's eligibility as a candidate for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

"In fact, in my view, the considerations that should drive a decision on whether an individual should be allowed to work in Baseball are not the same as those that should drive a decision on Hall of Fame eligibility.

"Indeed, in considering Mr. Rose's application for reinstatement, I, as Commissioner of Baseball, must determine the risk that Mr. Rose will commit a violation of MLB's rules (most significantly Rule 21) following his reinstatement that may impact the integrity of the game.

"By contrast, the issue of whether Mr. Rose should be eligible for Hall of Fame election under the bylaws of that organization presents an entirely different policy determination that is focused on a range of considerations distinct from the more narrow question before me."

But the Hall of Fame has made it clear in the past - and president Jeff Idelson reiterated such on "Hit&Run" last summer - that no player on the ineligible list can be voted on for election.

The rule was put in place in February 1991, about 18 months after Rose's 1989 ban from baseball and only 10 months before Rose's name would have first appeared on the writers' ballot.

Still, some of us have argued for Rose's inclusion based on his incredible playing career.

That was until an ESPN report in June displayed documents showing Rose bet on games - and on his own team - while still playing in 1986, when he was also the manager.

It's no coincidence that these documents appeared during a summer in which Manfred was considering the Rose petition for reinstatement. Someone involved in the original investigation probably wanted to put a nail in Rose's baseball coffin or spare Manfred the embarrassment of deciding in favor of Rose.

Or both.

In any case, the evidence that he bet as a player was finally the end for Rose, and there's little doubt Manfred made up his mind the day that story broke.

It's fair now to wonder if Rose ever bet against his team, or if he ever managed a game or hit in a situation that was affected by a wager.

It simply can't be a question. It's forbidden and accompanies a lifetime ban for a reason.

Yes, MLB is an investor in DraftKings, a fantasy gambling site, and has a monster advertising partnership that brings in millions on top of millions to baseball. Hypocrisy - and lack of integrity - duly noted.

And, yes, the steroid freaks remain on the ballot, though there appears no appetite among the writers to elect those who cheated.

But these are issues separate from the one in front of Manfred, which was whether he could trust Rose to be around the game after he had lied repeatedly about his misdeeds, and admitted in meetings with Manfred that he still bets on baseball legally in Las Vegas.

Give Manfred credit for giving this a shot, but ultimately Rose gave the commissioner no choice.

And, sadly, it was Rose who did this to himself.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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