[Posted Tuesday PM Folks, the schedule is a little screwed up
around here this week as I’m working on various projects. But I
thought the Pete Rose material was important to put out early due
to the ABC interview on “Primetime” this Thursday. Just my
way of jumping ahead of the debate a bit, too.]
NBA Quiz: Name the 7 who made 10 or more 1st team All-NBA
squads. [First selected in 1946-47, the 7 represent all eras.]
Answer below.
Pete Rose, Sleazeball Part II
Yup, I told you it would be 24 / 7 but let’s cut to the conclusion
first, before I relay a slew of commentary. The guess here is that
Rose gets to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, if voted in as
expected over the next few years, but the vast majority of us will
soon hope Commissioner Bud Selig bans him from further
involvement in the game.
Now for those of you not too familiar with the whole deal, just a
few key dates.
It was in February 1989 that Major League Baseball launched an
investigation into charges that Rose was betting on baseball.
Rose denied it that March.
John Dowd then completed his official report in May, though a
copy of it was later released, much to the chagrin of
Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, who had hoped to keep it
sealed. Dowd asserted Rose bet extensively on baseball,
including Reds games when he was manager. [But not ‘against’
Cincinnati.]
Then on August 24, 1989, Pete Rose was banned from baseball
for life. Herewith is Giamatti’s statement at the time.
“The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad
end of a sorry episode. One of the game’s greatest players has
engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he
must now live with the consequences of those acts. By choosing
not to come to a hearing before me, and by choosing not to
proffer any testimony or evidence contrary to the evidence and
information contained in the report of the special counsel to the
commissioner, Mr. Rose has accepted baseball’s ultimate
sanction, lifetime ineligibility.
“This sorry episode began last February when baseball received
firm allegations that Mr. Rose bet on baseball games and on the
Reds’ games. Such grave charges could not and must never be
ignored. Accordingly, I engaged, and (former commissioner)
Mr. Ueberroth appointed, John Dowd as special counsel to
investigate these and any other allegations that might arise and to
pursue the truth wherever it took him. I believed then and
believe now that such a process, whereby an experienced
professional inquires on behalf of the commissioner as the
commissioner’s agent, is fair and appropriate. To pretend that
serious charges of any kind can be responsibly examined by a
commissioner alone fails to recognize the necessity to bring
professionalism and fairness to any examination and the
complexity a private entity encounters when, without judicial or
legal powers, it pursues allegations in the complex real world.
“Baseball had never before undertaken such a process because
there had not been such grave allegations since the time of
Landis. [ed note: Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball’s
first commissioner who took control of the sport following the
1919 “Black Sox” scandal, one that involved betting on the
World Series.] If one is responsible for protecting the integrity
of the game of baseball – that is, the game’s authenticity,
honesty, and coherence – then the process one uses to protect the
integrity of baseball must itself embody that integrity. I sought
by means of a special counsel of proven professionalism and
integrity, who was obliged to keep the subject of the
investigation and his representatives informed about key
information, to create a mechanism whereby the integrity we
sought to protect was itself never violated. Similarly, in writing
to Mr. Rose on May 11, I designed, as is my responsibility, a set
of procedures for a hearing that would have afforded him every
opportunity to present statements or testimony of witnesses or
any other evidence he saw fit to answer the information and
evidence presented in the Report of the Special Counsel and its
accompanying materials.
“That Mr. Rose and his counsel chose to pursue a course in the
courts rather than appear at hearings scheduled for May 25 and
then June 26, and then chose to come forward with a stated
desire to settle this matter is now well known to all. My purpose
in recounting the process and the procedures animating that
process is to make two points that the American public deserves
to know:
“First, that the integrity of the game cannot be defended except
by a process that itself embodies integrity and fairness;
“Second, should any other occasion arise where charges are
made or acts are said to be committed that are contrary to the
interests of the game or that undermine the integrity of baseball, I
fully intend to use such a process and procedure to get to the
truth and, if need be, to root out offending behavior. I intend to
use, in short, every lawful and ethical means to defend and
protect the game.
“I say this so that there may be no doubt about where I stand or
why I stand there. I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting
game, loved by millions – I among them – and I believe baseball
is an important, enduring American institution. It must assert
and aspire to the highest principles – of integrity, of
professionalism of performance, of fair play within its rules. It
will come as no surprise that like any institution composed of
human beings, this institution will not always fulfill its highest
aspirations. I know of no earthly institution that does. But this
one, because it is so much a part of our history as a people and
because it has such a purchase on our national soul, has an
obligation to the people for whom it is played – to its fans and
well-wishers – to strive for excellence in all things and to
promote the highest ideals.
“I will be told that I am an idealist. I hope so. I will continue to
locate ideals I hold for myself and for my country in the national
game as well as in other of our national institutions. And while
there will be debate and dissent about this or that or another
occurrence on or off the field, and while the game’s nobler parts
will always be enmeshed in the human frailties of those who,
whatever their role, have stewardship of this game, let there be
no doubt or dissent about our goals for baseball or our dedication
to it. Nor about our vigilance and vigor – and patience – in
protecting the game from blemish or stain or disgrace.
“The matter of Mr. Rose is now closed. It will be debated and
discussed. Let no one think that it did not hurt baseball. That
hurt will pass, however, as the great glory of the game asserts
itself and a resilient institution goes forward. Let it also be clear
that no individual is superior to the game.”
[Source: “A Great and Glorious Game,” baseball writings of A.
Bartlett Giamatti.]
The events of this week have reminded us of what a great man
Giamatti was. No doubt he would have made for a super
president of the United States, had he chosen that path.
But one of the many tragic facets of the Pete Rose story is the
fact that Giamatti died of a massive heart attack just one week
after issuing the above, September 1, 1989.
The next April, 1990, Rose was sentenced to prison for income
tax evasion.
September 1997, Commissioner Bud Selig heard Pete Rose’s
plea for reinstatement and took no action.
Then on October 24, 1999, as part of Baseball’s All-Century
Team ceremonies during the World Series in Atlanta, Rose
received a thunderous ovation. Shortly thereafter, while still on
the field, NBC’s Jim Gray asked Rose why he had never
admitted he bet on baseball. Defiantly, Rose once again denied
he had.
In the 10/25/99 edition of Bar Chat, posted before the game, I
wrote the following on Rose and the Hall of Fame.
“Rose should be told he will be placed in the Hall, when he’s
dead. Anyway, a new poll out says 56% of those surveyed
believe Rose should be reinstated, while 29% said he should not.
7 out of 10 said Rose belongs in the Hall. [Polls taken back in
’89 and ’91 showed support for his election to the Hall ranging
from 47 to 58 percent.] Everyone talks about Cobb and Ruth not
being saints, so, their reasoning goes, why should Rose pay the
price for his misdeeds? Hey, those were different times and
because Rose hasn’t exactly been contrite, I say, the hell with
him.”
Back then I should have added the most important point there
are dirtballs, racists and all kinds of ugly people in the Hall of
Fame, but they didn’t break baseball’s one and only true
rule don’t bet on the game. It’s on the wall of every club-
house. And as we’ve now found out, perhaps the fans in Atlanta
and elsewhere wouldn’t have been so forgiving if they really
knew they were being lied to. I truly believe all of this is about
to change.
So now let’s look at reaction to Rose’s admission of guilt with
the release of his autobiography “My Prison Without Bars.” [If
you missed part one of Bar Chat, scroll down to the archives link
below to see former commissioner Fay Vincent’s comments.]
For starters, here is what Rose writes in the book.
“I’m sure that I’m supposed to act all sorry or sad or guilty now
that I’ve accepted that I’ve done something wrong. But you see,
I’m just not built that way. So let’s leave it like this: I’m sorry it
happened and I’m sorry for all the people, fans and family it hurt.
Let’s move on.”
The great Washington Post sportswriter Thomas Boswell picks
apart Rose’s usage of the word “it” above, instead of “I.”
“The truly contrite person would instinctively say, ‘I’m sorry I
did it and that I hurt people.’ In other words, like any
unrepentant scoundrel, he’s mostly sorry that he got caught. He
still hasn’t come to terms with the deed itself.” Boswell
continues:
“At the most elemental level, Rose owes the profoundest of
apologies to the sport itself, which he injured badly.
“And he needs to get down on his knees to those like John
Dowd, who got the facts right in their investigation, yet have
endured more than a decade of lying accusations from Rose in
every media venue he could grab .
“This week, America will talk about Rose But we ought to be
talking about Vincent, Dowd and A. Bartlett Giamatti – men who
paid a high price to dig out a hard truth then stick by their guns.
But the sinner gets the headline, doesn’t he? The Prodigal Son
gets the feast. What a lousy parable.”
Boswell also relates a story told by Fay Vincent.
“When Rose was a player, he went to Japan, signed a bat
endorsement contract, collected $100,000 in cash and put it in a
suitcase so he could sneak it through customs without paying
U.S. taxes. Rose was caught, but the story never got out and no
charges were filed. A few years later, Rose’s bat contract
expired. He went back to Japan, got another $100,000 in cash,
put it in a suitcase (maybe the same one) and tried to get it
through customs. Again.”
Vincent told Boswell, “Now the feds were really livid – a two-
time loser. They wanted to indict him. But he had a good
lawyer who got him off. Nobody found out. Nothing happened
to Rose. Those are facts. You can quote me.”
Vincent also told Boswell, “We teach great athletes their whole
lives that they are above the law. We create the monster, then we
have to go out and deal with it.”
Back in 1989, Rose’s first autobiography, “Pete Rose: My
Story,” was co-authored by Roger Kahn of “The Boys of
Summer” fame. When contacted this past Monday by Mike
Dodd of USA Today, Kahn said, “I must have asked Pete 20
times, ‘Did you bet on baseball?’ He would look at me, blink his
eyes and say, ‘I didn’t bet baseball. I have too much respect for
the game.’”
Dodd also quotes former Reds teammate Joe Morgan, today vice
chairman of the Hall of Fame and intimately involved in Rose’s
possible reinstatement. Now, as the facts are becoming clearer,
even Morgan seems a bit more circumspect.
“(In my position with the Hall), to uphold the integrity of the
game, it’s a very difficult situation. You have a guy admitting he
bet on the game. It doesn’t matter if he bet on his team to win or
lose. He bet on the game. My feeling on the Hall of Fame is that
we’ll have to wait and see where this goes from here.”
Oh, it’s going to get real interesting, baseball fans. For example,
Rose writes in his new book:
“During the times I gambled as a manager, I never took an unfair
advantage. I never bet more or less based on injuries or inside
information. I never allowed my wagers to influence my
baseball decisions. So in my mind, I wasn’t corrupt.”
He’s freakin’ lying again! You know it, I know it. And the
stories are already beginning to seep through that he alerted
bookies to when he felt his team wasn’t up to snuff on a
particular day. But I’ll let my buddy Johnny Mac sum up the
feelings of what I truly believe will be an increasing majority in
this country, just give it some time.
“For 14 years this piece of (garbage) has been using his icon
status to smear people like Giamatti and Vincent, people who
understood and loved the game. He owes them, or their legacy,
an apology. He owes Jim Gray an apology. He owes every fan
who stood and cheered his sorry butt for minutes on end at the
All-Century team, who wanted to believe him. He owes every
teammate an apology. He owes every opponent an apology. He
owes every umpire, ball boy, peanut vendor, minor leaguer,
grounds crew, everyone who has worked in the game and
understood and lived by its rules, an apology. He owes me an
apology, and you, and then, maybe no, forget it.”
My sentiments exactly, J. Mac. It all makes me sick.
—
Tug McGraw
Of course many of us baseball fans are not only bitter at Pete
Rose, we’re upset that former great Tug McGraw has now been
taken away from us at an all too early age of 59 due to brain
cancer. But as former Mets teammate Rusty Staub told Mike
Lupica, at least in the last year of Tug’s life “he had a lot of good
moments. He got to say his goodbyes the way he wanted to.”
McGraw was a very good relief pitcher for 19 years from 1965-
84 with both the Mets and Phillies; 96-92 lifetime with 180 saves
and a 3.13 ERA. But he’s best known for striking out Willie
Wilson to end the 1980 World Series, as well as his coining of
the phrase “You Gotta Believe” for the ‘73 Mets. It’s this latter
bit we’ll focus on. [Also because I went to high school with
Wilson, as long-time readers are sick of hearing, and poor Willie
is now unfortunately in every story on McGraw’s death.]
In August of ’73, the Mets were languishing in last place, 53-65,
but because the division was so mediocre, still only 7 games
out of first. Manager Yogi Berra, though, still thought the team
had a chance. The Mets had been suffering through a string of
injuries all season, but now they were getting healthy.
On August 17 the Mets lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to the Cincinnati
Reds in ten innings, the only run coming on a Willie Mays
homer, the 660th and last of his career. The Mets were now 53-
66, but Buddy Harrelson’s return off the disabled list had seemed
to lift the team.
Then the Mets chairman of the board, M. Donald Grant, made a
rare appearance in the clubhouse, deciding it was time for a little
pep talk. Coach Joe Pignatano recalled:
“ ‘You gotta believe in yourself,’ he says. ‘You gotta believe in
the fellow alongside of you. All those sitting on the bench, you
gotta believe in the team.’ Believe, believe, believe, believe.
That’s all he kept saying was believe.
“Now he’s walking out the door and he gets just about near the
trainers’ room and Tug jumps up. ‘You gotta believe, you guys.
You gotta believe.’ He thought Grant was gone, but he was still
there and he heard Tug and came back into the room. Tug just
looked at him and said, ‘You’re right, Mr. Grant, you gotta
believe.’ And everybody just shook their heads. Here he was
mimicking the man, and he turns it around. Son of a gun.”
[And now you know the real story. Source: Phil Pepe, “Talkin’
Baseball”]
All of a sudden, the Mets got hot. Tug had a winning slogan and
then one day they had a big, come from behind victory in the 9th
after which Yogi told the press, “You see, it ain’t over till it’s
over.” Yogi and Tug, how could they lose.
And to carry the pennant race that year a little further, here’s a
special for you Mets fan. September 20, 1973. The Pirates were
leading the Mets by a game and a half, Pittsburgh is in Shea
Stadium. I was a sophomore in high school and for some reason
I had to go to school that evening, so I remember taking along
my transistor radio to follow the game as I walked back home.
From Phil Pepe:
“The score was tied going into the top of the 13th. Richie Zisk
was on first base for the Pirates when rookie Dave Augustine
drilled a line drive to deep left field that looked like a home run
when it left the bat. But the ball hit the wall, the point of the
wood fence.
“A fraction of an inch higher and the ball would have ricocheted
off the wall and soared over the fence for a two-run homer. A
fraction of an inch lower and it probably would have ricocheted
back past left fielder Cleon Jones for an extra-base hit, allowing
Zisk to score.
“Instead, the ball hit the point and shot up a few feet in the air,
like a ‘pointer’ in stoop ball, and landed in Jones’s glove. He
whirled and threw a perfect strike to the cutoff man, Wayne
Garrett, who whirled and threw a perfect strike to catcher Ron
Hodges to nail Zisk at the plate. The Mets won the game in the
bottom of the 13th.”
Wayne Garrett said afterwards, “This is our year. No way we
can lose now.” The Mets won the division and then upset the
Reds for the N.L. pennant, a series best known for Buddy
Harrelson’s brawl with Pete Rose. But that’s a story for some
other day. [And to give the Oakland A’s their due, they then beat
the Mets in the World Series.]
I can honestly say that when I look back on my childhood,
having been born in 1958, that most of my lasting memories are
of the New York Mets. Heck, just last chat, before I knew Tug
was about to be taken away from us, I mused about one day
scattering my ashes at Shea Stadium.
The New York Post’s Steve Serby quotes former teammate Ron
Swoboda. “I was jealous of the way (Tug) was able to play and
let that little kid and player on the field at the same time.” And
Swoboda sums up the feelings of all fans, particularly of the
Mets and Phillies. “It was easy to relate to him because he
looked like he was having fun.”
I also loved Swoboda’s reminiscence, “I taught him how to spit
beer through his front teeth, and we used to practice on one
another.”
No doubt they were simpler times. And McGraw was generous
when it came to the fans he genuinely loved. As Johnny Mac
told me, “Each one mattered to him and it showed. Compare that
to today. It’s almost painful to watch a lot of the athletes.
They’re miserable, unhappy people and we are left to wonder
why. They have so little joy for the life they lead, yet are so
blessed to have a marginal skill this society deems worthy of
paying $millions to watch. Figures like Barry Bonds and
Rasheed Wallace should be forced to watch tapes of Tug at an
old-timers’ game and learn something.”
Finally, it was touching to learn that Tug died at his son Tim’s
house. [The famous country singer of the same name.] The two
were estranged for many years, but they were able to patch
things up recently. So farewell, Tug. You will be greatly missed
by more people than you can ever begin to imagine.
Stuff
–Just a lot of baseball these days, folks. And as I write this, Paul
Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were elected to the Hall of Fame.
No surprise and I wrote in this space on 12/30 that they were
locks. But I’m kind of proud that I also added then:
“The interesting thing will be how well four others do Bruce
Sutter, who garnered 54% of the vote last year, Jim Rice (52%),
Andre Dawson (50%), and Ryne Sandberg (49%). [Remember,
75% is required for entry.] Look for increases for Sutter, Rice
and Sandberg, but I’d be surprised if any hit the magic number.
At the same time I can’t see Dawson doing any better.”
So, Sutter moved up to 59.5%, Sandberg 61.1% and Rice 54.5%.
But Dawson was at the same 50%. Wonder how Pete Rose’s
bets went.
But in looking at future years, and knowing Rose thinks he can
get in on his last year of eligibility with the writers, 2006 –
otherwise, assuming he’s reinstated in some form, at least for the
Hall, the Veterans Committee would have to pass judgment on
the loser –, next year the only new candidate of substance is
Wade Boggs, and for 2006 there are none. In other words, not
only does Rose have a good shot, so do Sutter and Sandberg. As
for Rice, it’s looking bleak. Dawson has no chance.
For the above guys time is rapidly running out. In 2007 (voted
on December 2006), we have Tony Gwynn, Mark McGwire, and
Cal Ripken, Jr. coming up for enshrinement.
–The New York Knicks completed a blockbuster trade the other
day which saw them obtain Coney Island’s own Stephon
Marbury, along with Penny Hardaway, in exchange for Charlie
Ward, Antonio McDyess, some other losers and a few 1st round
draft picks. New Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas has
wasted no time in wasting the team. [Always wanted to write
that though it precludes me from Pulitzer consideration.]
Personally, while Marbury wouldn’t be my first pick to quaff a
beer with, he’s only 26 and clearly a franchise type player. No
less an authority than the Daily News’ Mike Lupica termed it a
“great trade” for New York.
But for almost 3 years Stephon played in New Jersey and it was
then everyone realized that when you had him on your team, in
his old neighborhood, you also had to deal with Stephon’s
extended family. The Star-Ledger’s Brad Parks had the
following account.
According to Nets officials, the battles between staff, Continental
Airlines Arena security guards and Marbury’s family were
“legend.”
“And there was no one more likely to cause a ruckus than
Stephon’s father, Donald Sr. He insisted on being able to park
his car in the player’s valet area often throwing his keys at the
attendant there.
“Once in the building, he never wore any kind of credential. To
Donald, merely saying ‘I’m Stephon Marbury’s dad’ should have
been enough to get him anywhere he wanted to go .He ate in
the media dining area, sometimes taking plates of food or
desserts to family and friends in the Arena.
“When the game started, he would sit wherever he pleased,
regardless of whether he had bought the seat or not.”
When ushers tried to move him, Donald would threaten to get
them fired. And all along, when the team asked Stephon to talk
to his father, Stephon refused.
So, it looks like we could have lots of fodder for Bar Chat!
Thanks, Isiah.
–1/11/64: Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report
linking smoking to cancer and other diseases. Warning labels
went on cigarette packs in 1966. Your editor is in second grade,
admiring Ms. Veturi. [Funny how the memory works.]
–Thankfully, we won’t talk about the BCS for a while, until at
least March when a new proposal is put forward. My only point
in listening to the calls for a playoff system is that I want it all
over the first weekend in January. Actually, aside from tweaking
the computer poll and ensuring that the #1 in the writers’ survey
is assured a spot in the championship game, keep it all the same.
Everyone says, “Well, Division I-AA and Division III have
playoffs already, why can’t I-A?” But they don’t have all these
other bowl games to deal with, many of which have to be played
around New Year’s from an economic standpoint, for starters, let
alone the ability of alumni and the fan base to get time off to
schlep to these spots. Of course on the other side of things, I’m
trying to figure out why there need to be events like the
Humanitarian Bowl in Boise that are played in front of 5,000
fans freezing their butts off. I mean who’s the real
humanitarian?
–You’ve probably been wondering why I, a Wake Forest alum,
have suddenly become very quiet while our basketball team has
rocketed up the rankings, now #4 and #5 in the two major polls.
Well, it’s because as a seasoned fan I recognize that it’s now
reality check time, ACC play, plus tough non-conference games.
For example, following our contest versus Clemson on Saturday
at home, it’s at Texas, at Duke, home against Georgia Tech, at
Florida State (always a tough one), Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina State, North Carolina you get the picture. If we
go 3-1 in the four games starting with Texas, I’ll be a happy
camper, and I could become insufferable.
–The PGA Tour is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God.
–Goodness, gracious, we almost lost Ray Davies of the Kinks
over New Year’s. Davies was walking in New Orleans’ French
Quarter with his lady friend when two men ripped the woman’s
purse off her arm. Davies then chased them, but one of the
dirtballs turned and shot Davies in the leg. Thankfully, he’s OK.
At last report one of the two perpetrators had been arrested. I
know I join all of you in hoping that the shooter receives the
chair just because.
–So last Sunday I’m watching the local news when the Amazing
Kreskin suddenly appears with his predictions for 2004. They
were on the light side, celebrity oriented, but then he said he saw
2004 as being the year the whole steroid debate in baseball
exploded. Not that he really went out on the limb there, since I
warned you all during the World Series that baseball shouldn’t
get too smug after all the good feeling generated by the super
playoffs last fall, but Kreskin is right. The fans aren’t going to
like a lot of the stories that will begin coming out in this area,
and coupled with the surly attitude generated by Pete Rose’s lack
of contrition, it won’t be pretty.
Just another reason to yearn for the good old days of Tug
McGraw.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/9/65: “I Feel Fine” (The Beatles)
#2 “Come See About Me” (The Supremes) #3 “Mr. Lonely”
(Bobby Vinton)
NBA Quiz Answers: All-NBA 1st team selections – Karl Malone
is the only one with 11, the other six have 10. Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit,
Elgin Baylor.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
