Ohio lawmakers say Pete Rose paid his dues and belongs in hall of fame

The resolution has virtually no chance of passing in the one legislative day remaining before the Ohio General Assembly

Former Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose has paid his dues for betting on baseball and it’s time that the legendary player and manager makes it into the Hall of Fame, according to Cincinnati area lawmakers.

State Rep. Michael Sheehy, D-Oregon, is co-sponsoring a House resolution that urges Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to remove Rose from the ineligible list and urges the Baseball Writer’s Association of America to put Rose on the Hall of Fame ballot.

“The ‘time served’ on the permanently ineligible list as well as the legendary contributions made to the game of baseball far outweigh any reasoning to keep him on the ineligible list any longer. He is more than deserving of being admitted to the Hall of Fame and it is time he is embraced by baseball again,” Sheehy said in his written testimony.

The resolution has virtually no chance of passing in the one legislative day remaining before the Ohio General Assembly concludes its two-year session on Thursday.

Rose, now 75, was given a lifetime ban for betting on baseball.

Rose is Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in hits, at bats, games played, is the only player to play more than 500 games at five different positions, and is a 17-time All Star. He won two Golden Glove awards and three World Series titles.

“The hustle, heart, determination, and effort displayed on the field are something that everyone can admire and became his trademark. These qualities are ones we want to inspire in every generation of young people whether they have athletic aspirations or not,” Sheehy said in his testimony.

The resolution, however, is unlikely to make it around the legislative bases before the two-year legislative session ends this month. Sheehy gave sponsor testimony in a House committee — the first step in a long process for a bill becoming law.

And Manfred said last year that Rose would not be reinstated.

“Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989. Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport,” Manfred said, according to MLB.com.

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