It’s Time for Baseball to Forgive Pete Rose

[MarkyMark]

.

I grew up in Rose's era, before it AND after it. I watched it all. (I stood in line and watched Willie Davis sign a paper baseball sticker that was stuck on my closet door for years, yikes I am old!)

Rose was inspirational, anyone who saw those times cannot say otherwise. He helped in the continuing build of "the national pastime", no doubt about it.

To claim that in today's melee, times are different and reconsideration can/should now be made is questionable from where I stand.

Pete knew what he was doing when he acted in the manner that he did, on AND off the field.



Attachment 45996 Chico Escuela once told Pete: "Beisbol been berrry berrry good to you, you shoulda been MORE berrry berrry good to it. Lo siento, que lastima mijo".






.

Well said statement...I'm 54 & share the same thoughts overall..

MM

[DEVOREFLYER]

Grew up as a kid watching the two New York teams (Yankees and Dodgers) on black and white TV. Mantle and Maris the home run kings were my Yankee favorites. The Dodgers had Duke Snyder and Roy Campanella as my runner ups. And the best announcers and my favorites were Mel Allen and Red Barber. Played Little League when they had tryouts and you had to make the cuts to get on a team, wood bats and no full batting helmet. No participation trophies or minimum playing time back then.

Watched the first Dodger game at the LA Coliseum and at Chavez Ravine. Coached baseball at a number of different levels for 13 years. My team in 1983 had a perfect season 32-0 League Champions, City Champions. In 1984 I was among 9 coaches selected by the American Baseball Federation to go to Europe to coach the Dutch and German National teams for the Europe championship for the 1984 Olympics where baseball was going to be a demonstration game. Italy won the playoffs and represented Europe in the Olympics. I watched Japan beat the USA for the gold behind home plate at Dodger stadium.

I became good friends with major league umpires John McSherry and Joe Brinkman. Joe ran an umpire school in the winter at the San Bernardino Little League Headquarters and John assisted. They needed a baseball team and players to scrimmage so the umpire students had real game action. I supplied them with my teams for several years. It was the most fun I have ever had because John and Joe encouraged me to come out of the dugout and do my best imitation of Billy Martin, Earl Weaver or Tommy Lasorda on the students. I got quite good at throwing my hat and kicking brick dust. Lost count of the number of times I got tossed out of the game, great fun.

First in 1992 and then 1994 my baseball world and any further interest in it ended. In 1992 my youngest son who had been a two sport (football and baseball) athlete in high school and was playing in the Houston Astros rookie instructional league was diagnosed with adult onset mental illness. This ended his dreams of playing professional baseball after passing up scholarship offers at USC and Arizona State to play baseball.

In 1994 MLB went on strike for 232 days ending the season and no playoffs or World Series. That strike also ended the career of many players. Baseball was never the same after that to me. Greed of the players and owners killed it for me. Baseball is just a game, each and every player and owner should wake up every morning and thank God for the ability he gave them to be able to play at that level.

In 1995 my long time mentor (32 years) and a fellow coach passed away. Roy had no family or living next of kin, baseball had been his family. Myself and several of Roy’s friends paid to have him cremated and we held a memorial service in his honor. I had a few contacts and pulled a few strings and called in favors and arranged to have Roy’s ashes raked into the brick dust in the infield of a Major League Stadium that will go unnamed.

I haven’t been to a MLB game since and rarely watch or listen to a game anymore, just don’t have the heart. If you ever played or coached the game you understand it's like a chess game and you coach and make changes and adjustments to increase your odds and decrease your opponents odds. It really is a great game of strategy with a little luck and timing thrown in.

[City Dad]

and give the records back to Maris and Aaron while they're at it

[DEVOREFLYER]

and give the records back to Maris and Aaron while they're at it

That I agree with 100%.........