Pete Rose is baseball's career hits leader, and no one who ever saw him play can doubt he put his heart and soul into the game. He is also a compulsive gambler who violated clearly understood rules about betting on his own team. Now, his eligibility for the Hall of Fame has expired, and I have mixed feelings about it. It seems overly judgmental to leave him out considering some of the cretins who are in halls of fame in other sports; isn't the idea to reward excellence? But I get the point about not honoring people who fundamentally disrespect their teammates and their sports. Pete Rose is who he is. Is that punishment enough?
