Presidential candidate Donald Trump has turned plenty of heads during the election season with controversial comments and stances, and his opinions reached the world of sports Monday.
Trump weighed in on Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision regarding Pete Rose’s baseball ban:
According to James Pilcher of Cincinnati.com, Manfred issued a statement Monday that rejected Rose’s reinstatement plea. Manfred did so through “a four-page decision that showed Rose continues to bet on baseball and failed to disclose that to the commissioner in September until pressed.”
The lifetime ban was initially put in place in 1989 after the former Cincinnati Reds superstar gambled as the manager of the team. Pilcher also said the implications of Manfred’s ruling would determine Rose’s Hall of Fame chances: “As a practical matter, the decision keeps Rose from being eligible for the Hall of Fame.”
In light of that, it’s worth noting MLB did not actually reject Rose from the Hall of Fame like Trump implied, but rather upheld the ban that kept him ineligible.
Rose is the all-time MLB hit king with 4,256 career base knocks. He was a 17-time All-Star, the 1973 National League MVP and won three batting titles. He was even a two-time Gold Glove winner and won three World Series titles during his spectacular career.
On paper, he would be a surefire Hall of Fame inductee, but his gambling past and present continue to stand in his way.
If it were up to Trump, that would no longer be the case.
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