Bob Nightengale

USA TODAY Sports

It has been 25 years, and just five months away from our fourth commissioner, but nothing has changed.

Nothing will change.

Pete Rose will not be in the Hall of Fame.

Not now. Maybe never. If it ever happens, he may not be alive to see it.

Rose received a lifetime ban by the late Bart Giamatti 25 years ago on Sunday. Fay Vincent never considered removing the ban during his three-year stint. And while Bud Selig listened, and even had Rose in his office, he never came close to reinstating Rose.

The words have slightly changed over the years, with Selig saying "it's still under advisement'' to "I'm going to do what I think is right.''

The meaning has remained the same.

Now, on Jan. 25, 2015, when Rob Manfred takes over as commissioner, nothing will change either.

"No comment,'' Manfred said, when USA TODAY Sports asked about the Rose situation.

Selig, who says he will try to resolve some of the game's lingering issues in the next five months and dole out a few All-Star Games (You can take the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami to the bank), the Rose suspension won't be one of them.

"I have to do what I think is in the best interest of this sport," Selig said Friday, addressing the media in Cincinnati.

And that, my friends, is to keep the lifetime ban intact.

You can shoot your body with steroids, pop greenies like they're M&Ms, but sorry, gambling has never been permitted in baseball.

It is the sport's greatest sin.

Rose violated it, and will continue to pay the price.

"You know there are a lot of things in life that happen that a commissioner or any of us wish hadn't happened …'' Selig said. "I understand the feeling here in Cincinnati. I really do. I'm sensitive to it, as a matter of fact. I've said because I am the judge that it's a matter under advisement.

"I think it's inappropriate for me to say any more than that. But I've taken it seriously, talked to a lot of people. It's one of those situations in life that you wish didn't exist but it does. I'm going to do what I think is right. I have five months to think about it. So it is under advisement.

"One thing about commissioners, we have to do what you think is right. I've tried to do this every on subject. ... In some cases, whatever you do, somebody's going to be mad. You have to live with that. The commissioner has to live with that.''

Rose, 73, of, course, vehemently disagrees. He talks about being a great ambassador for the sport. He talks about the perception of a double-standard with the drug cheats. He now openly apologizes for his sins.

"The guy who shot the Pope," Rose told USA TODAY Sports last month, "he got a second chance. That's all I'm asking for, a second chance. I'll make the most of it.

"I'm not whining. I was the one who screwed up. I made some mistakes. But come on, it's been a quarter of a century."

It's too late now, and nothing will change while Manfred is in office, either.

"It's not a secret that this office was founded in 1920, 1921 because of the Black Sox scandal," Selig says. "There's no secret about that. There's no secret about my own strong feelings_I think any commissioner in any sport_but in our sport because of the history. The day you step into this office, you are always concerned about integrity.

"Sport without integrity is not a sport.''

So after 25 years, Rose will continue to be on the outside looking in.

He will still keep signing autographs for money. He will still have his promotional stunts as a one-day manager in independent ball. He will even be permitted to participate in the 2015 All-Star festivities in Cincinnati.

And he will keep on talking.

We love him for that.

Call him, and he'll pick up the phone.

See him, and he'll chat away as long as you want.

"People want to see me," Rose says. "They want to talk to me. I'm still popular. I sign stuff 20 days a month, and 4 ½ hours a day, and I all I do is talk positive about the game to the fans.

"I'm good for baseball.''

Well, he's good for the fans, great for the media and certainly endearing to himself.

If he had only retired from the game when his playing career ended.

If he had only not become the Reds' manager, where he got caught gambling, and thrown out of the game for life.

Rose's supporters will argue that he would be going into the Hall of Fame as a player —baseball's all-time hits' leader with 4,256, winning more games (1,972) than any player in professional sports history — so anything that happened after his playing career shouldn't matter.

Yet, it doesn't work that way in life.

Rose made an awful mistake.

And when you get a lifetime sentence, you've got to wait longer than 25 years to get an appeal.

It's still not time, and even with a new commissioner, nothing is changing.

WHO SAYS THEY'RE UNTRADEABLE?

Just when the Atlanta Braves thought they couldn't find a team willing to trade for struggling center fielder B.J. Upton and his $75.25 million contract, they nearly had a taker at the non-waiver trade deadline.

And just when the Chicago Cubs thought they couldn't find a taker for troubled starter Edwin Jackson and his $52 million contract, they found someone.

Yes, each other.

The Braves and Cubs engaged in trade discussions in July, a high-ranking official with direct knowledge of the talks, about a deal what would send Upton to the Cubs and Jackson to the Braves.

Essentially, it was just a straight swap of dead weight contracts for underperforming players.

Jackson, who's currently on the disabled list, is 14-32 with a 5.47 ERA since signing with the Cubs, including a 6.09 ERA this year. Upton is hitting .197 with 18 homers and 57 RBI since joining the Braves, with 306 strikeouts in 844 at-bats_including a major-league leading 155 strikeouts this year.

The Braves would have had to throw in a ton of cash in the deal considering Upton is still owed $46.35 million for the next three years, while Jackson is owed $22 million over the next two years.

And, really, the two sides say, they weren't close to agreeing to a deal.

Yet, it was definitely discussed they say, and likely will be broached once again this winter.

Stay tuned.

AROUND THE BASEPATHS

--Whispers are getting louder in baseball circles that if the Atlanta Braves miss the playoffs, it could result in a front-office shakeup involving GM Frank Wren and perhaps even manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Braves CEO Terry McGuirk, in a lengthy interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, did not offer any votes of confidence, saying only that they are accountable for the team's performance.

--The breakdown in Cuban defector's Rusney Castillo's $72.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox:

2014: $100,000 plus $5.4 million signing bonus.

2015: $10.5 million

2016: $10.5 million

2017: $10.5 million

2018: $11 million

2019: $11 million

2020: $13.5 million

--Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher's season ends with more errors (nine) than home runs (eight), with just eight homers and 42 RBI when he underwent surgery on both knees.

--Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber of the Indians, with 205 strikeouts in 186 innings, is on pace for 270 strikeouts this year. It would be the second-highest total for a Cleveland right-hander since Bob Feller's club record 348 strikeouts in 1946.

--Kudos to the Kansas City Royals, on verge of their first playoff berth since 1985, for not thinking about shutting down or limiting the innings to young starters Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura. They each are nearing their career highs in innings, but yet, they are essential to the Royals' playoff hopes.

How long has it been since the Royals were relevant? Their Aug. 31 game on "Sunday Night Baseball'' will be their first home game on ESPN's marquee game since July 16, 2000.

--The Nationals' five walk-offs in six games during their 10-game winning streak is the most since the Houston Astros in 1986.

--We may not have seen a greater day for pitchers than Thursday, says stats guru Bill Chuck. Why, 14 of the 16 starting pitchers recorded quality starts, and eight had ultra-quality starts. Eight of the pitchers yielded four or fewer hits. Seven pitchers didn't permit an earned run. Five pitchers didn't issue a walk. Five games ended in a shutout. And for the first time in 10 years, there were three complete-game losses.

You know it was a historic day when Tigers' David Price throws a one-hitter … and loses.

Incredibly, the Rays became the fourth team to be held to one hit or less this season, and still won.

They are the first team since 1906 to win a game with one or fewer hits, and no walks or home run.

--Phillies veteran starter A.J. Burnett is talking like a man who may retire after this season, and not bothering to collect on his player option of $12.75 million with five more starts.

--Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, in quite a class act of appreciation, gave Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa a Rolex watch this week for helping him improve his defense in 2006-2007 with the Yankees.

"Forty-five years in baseball, no one's ever done anything like that for me," Bowa said. "I'm really touched."

--Excuse me, anyone seen the Detroit Tigers?

On July 24, the Tigers had a seven-game lead in the AL Central, with a 57-42 record. They have since gone 11-16, and are now 2 1/2 games behind the Royals.

--The Missouri "Show Me'' bragging rights: This is the first time since 1995 that the Royals have had a better record than the Cardinals this late in a season.

The Royals, who have won 23 of their last 30 games, have a magic number of 34 to win the AL Central.

--The St. Louis Cardinals took a lot of heat when they signed Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million contact after his drug suspension, but look who's saving their season?

Peralta leads the Cardinals in homers (17), doubles (33) and extra-base hits (50), and is second in RBI (59) and slugging percentage (.459). He has already set the Cardinals' record for most homers by a shortstop, and has the most extra-base hits by any shortstop in baseball.

No one's complaining now.

--The average time of major-league games this season has climbed to 3 hours, 2 minutes, 54 seconds. It would be the longest average time in baseball history if it holds the rest of the season.

--The Phillies are averaging 7,969 fewer fans than a year ago, the largest decrease in baseball.

--The Rangers could decide the outcome of the American League West. They have six more games against the Angels and seven more against Oakland. The Rangers are 3-10 against the Angels this season and 5-7 against the Athletics.

--Who would ever have imagined that the two lowest scoring teams in the American League would belong to the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

--Nelson Cruz, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Abreu led the major leagues with 25 homers entering the month of July. They've since combined for only 17, while Chris Carter of the Astros has 17 himself, notes Bill Chuck.

Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale