Meghan Montemurro

The News Journal

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Pete Rose's Major League Baseball career is irreparably linked to gambling.

Rose, 75, has not been eligible for the selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 1991, when the Hall's board of directors implemented a rule that anyone on MLB's Ineligible List is barred from being elected. Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989, is on the list because of allegations he bet on baseball while a Reds player and manager.

Former Phillies teammate and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt acknowledged the improbability of Rose's repeated quest to become eligible, noting Friday that "more than likely, Pete will never get into the Hall of Fame." In December, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred denied a formal request from Rose to be reinstated.

"We can talk all we want about whether he deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, but there are certain rules and regulations that makes talking about it ridiculous," Schmidt said Friday. "You can’t do it. We all know that his statistics as a player are Hall of Fame statistics. Maybe one of the greatest ever.

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"But we all know about his personal life of being banned from the game and living a lie for a lot of years and fessing up to it and the questions about how contrite he was after that. ... I’m just giving a realistic opinion because of the commissioner's position on it, the current Hall of Famers' position on it, guys with votes position on it."

Schmidt wonders why Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame voters have increasingly shown a willingness to vote for players linked to PEDs, but not spoken up for Rose. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have seen their vote totals increase over the years, both posting over 53 percent this year. A player on the Hall of Fame ballot must receive at least 75 percent of the votes to get elected.

"Based on [Hall of Fame voting] this year, there is some question on that regard," Schmidt said. "As a former player, I’m not going to disrespect anyone by mentioning names. But there’s a trend."

Despite being on the ineligible list, Major League Baseball has allowed Rose to attend events at ballparks, including last year at Great American Ball Park, where he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame.

Rose's next visit to a big-league stadium could be Citizens Bank Park.

Rose is eligible to be chosen for the Phillies' Wall of Fame and has the support of Schmidt, who would be thrilled to see Rose earn a spot on the team's Wall of Fame in Ashburn Alley at the ballpark. Rose, part of the Phillies' 1980 World Series title team, hit .291 with a .365 on-base percentage, .726 OPS in 745 games with Philadelphia. He earned three All-Star honors and had a top-10 National League MVP finish in 1981.

Rose, MLB's all-time leader in hits, is one of 10 Phillies alumni up for the honor. Fans can vote for their top three choices until March 15. The former Phillie that is chosen will be inducted into the Wall of Fame prior to the Aug. 12 game.

Schmidt, who is in camp as a guest instructor until Sunday, believes Rose should "definitely" receive the recognition this year.

"I think since they’ve allowed Pete to be recognized by major league teams in stadiums, I think it would be a wonderful thing for Pete to receive that honor," Schmidt said Friday. "I think ... he had a great impact on us winning that World Championship and going to another World Series. He helped all the guys around him get better, especially me."

Contact Meghan Montemurro at mmontemurro@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @M_Montemurro.