Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced a significant policy change on Tuesday, affecting the eligibility of several players for the sport’s Hall of Fame. The decision reinstates 17 players, including baseball legends Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who were previously banned due to sports gambling scandals.
Key Details of the Policy Change
- Bans Expiration: The new policy states that bans will expire upon the death of the player.
- Recent Context: This change comes eight months after the death of Pete Rose, who was honored by his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, with Pete Rose Night just a day after his reinstatement.
Players Reinstated
The following players were reinstated under the new policy:
- Pete Rose
- "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
- Arnold "Chick" Grandel
- Eddie Cicotte
- William Cox
- Benny Kauff
- Joe Gedeon
- Gene Paulette (deceased in 1939)
- Lee Magee (deceased in 1976)
- Phil Douglas
Hall of Fame Induction Requirements
According to Major League Baseball’s current rules, Pete Rose or Joe Jackson would need unanimous support from all 16 members of the Hall of Fame’s Classic Era Committee to be inducted into Cooperstown in 2028. They will not appear on this year’s ballot until next year’s meeting at least.
Background on Pete Rose
- Permanent Ban: Pete Rose agreed to a permanent ban in August 1989 following an investigation that concluded he repeatedly bet on his own team while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds.
- Reinstatement Attempts: Despite applying for reinstatement multiple times since then, he was rejected by former Commissioner Bud Selig and later by Manfred himself.
Comments from MLB Executives
Lenkov stated via email:
“We did know that [former MLB executive] Sandy Alderson had spoken positively about Pete numerous times around this period…We also knew that [then-MLB Executive Vice President] Jim Bowden spoke very highly about Pete around the same time…And finally we knew there hadn’t been any negative comments coming out regarding anything done post-August.”
Future Considerations
Manfred has yet to comment further on what led him to reconsider his previous stance against Rose’s reinstatement before making it official last week.
Related News
In related news, Greg Maddux became one-third of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 alongside Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas when he was elected unanimously back in January.
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