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Pete Rose and the SI ‘Dilemma’
A recent Sports Illustrated article promoting Kostya Kennedy’s book, “It’s Time to Rethink Pete,” promotes the argument that the steroid users currently being denied entry in the Baseball Hall of Fame give Pete Rose a newfound 
credit for entry. That Pete Rose’s transgressions pale in comparison. The cover of this week’s SI has a picture a young Pete Rose in his prime looking as gritty and strong as he was with the “Big Red Machine” from the early to mid-1970s. The headline reading, “The Dilemma.”
Opinion
Now throughout this article it becomes painfully obvious that author is trying to make you feel sorry for Pete Rose. And who doesn’t, in my opinion? This man was a fantastic ballplayer that set an almost unreachable milestone. He played the game with such passion and love that it is just painful that the he is not in the Hall of Fame. Now that we see some sympathy given towards players that ‘manipulated themselves’ to cheat the game, Rose’s circumstance, while managing, doesn’t seem as impactful. This is a fact that I strongly agree with in reference to Pete Rose, however, it will not change my stance of ‘deny entry’ towards Pete Rose.
Put simply, the Commissioner’s Office was born out of the need to enforce the very thing that Pete Rose involved himself in. If Bud Selig were to grant entry to Pete Rose, upon his resignation from the office, then he will go down as the worst Commissioner in history. If not already after being totally oblivious to an entire era of drug use in the game? Now I don’t want to crush Bud Selig to pieces as he has made some good decisions (i.e. eventually replay, playoff format), but enforcing corruption in the game is the Commissioner’s primary job. That is a fact. If they can’t, or won’t, do this then what is their purpose? Rule changes etc. can always be made as a collective.
Sorry Pete, Barry, Roger, Mark and Sammy that is the way it has been since the aftermath of 1919. Corrupt men that preceded this date are only in due to a technicality (i.e. Cobb).
Anyway, back to the SI article. It made me feel bad for Pete Rose, it really did. However, that is a familiar feeling and it doesn’t constitute much of a dilemma for baseball. Their stance is well establish and rightfully so. The article references Barry Larkin’s Hall of Fame speech that credited Pete Rose, “You know it … Pete Rose, 4,256 of them. That’s right.” Rose has his glory in the record books if anyone needs a reminder of his greatness. I’d say that is a pretty good consolation to not making the Hall.
Kennedy, Kostya. “The Pete Problem.” Sports Illustrated, March 10, 2014.
Well that was Depressing
I am going to start this random blog appearance off with a moment of Q&A to myself? Yes … myself an all too familiar sight on this blog.
Q: How depressing was the Blue Jays 2013 season?
A: About as depressing as the activity on this blog in the past two years. Zing! Ouch! My very own work art – I have taken it for granted – left out in cyber dust, lifeless, void any passion or energy.
Similarly, the Blue Jays of 2013 were a work of art crafted by GM Alex Anthopolous. The season that began with great hype and fanfare (lol, sure) following the acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Melky Cabrera, Josh Thole and Emilio Bonifacio ended in depression as the Jays finished in the basement of yet another very tough A.L. East division.
The optimism that was at an all-time high in ‘Blue Jay Nation’ coming into the year quickly turned to frustration and sadness. The point that I knew season was lost was Mid-April in Kansas City when Jose Reyes broke his ankle stealing second base. Reyes wouldn’t be back until June while all of the other pieces Anthopolous acquired struggled to excel in a Jays uniform. Dickey’s game did not look good in the Rogers, Bonifacio struggled to find a defensive position (then played great in Kansas City, bastard), Johnson had a rough go of it and Buehrle was … well himself (nothing too special).
This year the Jays seem poised for a better win/loss output as the team remains relatively intact with a huge statistical upgrade at catcher (going from a player getting on base at .227 clip, to one at .365) HUGE! The pitching rotation still seeks a few players to emerge, but some may argue that the Jays have some young arms in the system ready to perform (Hutchison, Drabek, Stroman).
I’m also not a believer that the lack of activity in the offseason will be detrimental the Jays this year. The team made ample moves last season, so this year it was not a necessity. To keep it brief (because if you had followed this blog rarely do I write about the Jays) the Jays still have a solid core of talent in Reyes, Encarnacion, Lawrie, Bautista, the Bullpen and Dickey. With a bit of luck from the injury bug, and at the backend of our pitching staff from young unprovens we could be very competitive club.
Anyway, I’d like to apologize for the poor effort that I have put out on this blog. Comparatively, I’m also sure that the Jays want to apologize for their performance on the field last season. Okay … so all things considered even I’ll end with a famous baseball quote from ‘Dem Bums,’ the pre-1940’s Brooklyn Dodgers, “We’ll get em’ next year.” The Jays and the blog.
Although I have absent from this blog, I’m still a living, breathing person. Send me tweet @talkinhomer … always like connecting with Jays fans.
The Year of all Years
This will be my only blog post of 2013 (sorry for discontinuing last season). This piece of PhotoArt is my representation of the hope I have for this team going into 2013.
So much is riding on this season for the Blue Jays. Fans have been longing for playoff baseball in Toronto for a long, long time now. The team the Jays have assembled has be well documented, but to reitterate (notably we got Reyes, Dickey, Buehrle, Melky, Bonifacio, Josh Johnson!!!!!!!!).
I will burn this image (a Photoshop burnt image technique) if the Jays season falls off the ‘playoff map,’ so to speak. Hopefully, that does not happen and I can add a playoff pennet to the image – or dare I say – a World Series trophy or ring!!! So, in a way, the Jays season is contained metaphorically in this image.
Go Jays 2013! Enjoy the season Southern Ontario!
Metaphorical representation of the Jays in 2013. Image will burn with failure and obtain a pennet/ring with success.
Homer, Blue Jays and MLB 