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 A Rose By Any Other Name...

                                                  Mike DiPatri        01/14/04

This Pete Rose thing just won't go away.  In his recently released book, he admits to betting on baseball, the rule violation that resulted in his "banned for life" sentence.  Now he thinks that since he came clean and confessed, Major League Baseball should lift the ban.  Pete Rose needs to realize that he is not the only professional athlete who has not realized the greatest honor in his sport.

Of course, there are the eight members of the "Black Sox" whose ban was really for life.  At least one of those players did not even break a rule.  Rose just thinks that only other players could be banned; not him.

I am thinking specifically of another player.  That is "Bullet" Bob Hayes.  Hayes still holds numerous Dallas records.  He had 371 receptions, 7414 yards and 71 touchdowns in a relatively short career.  His on-field statistics are good enough to earn his way into the Football Hall of Fame.

Hayes completely changed defense.  Prior to his arrival in the NFL, there was no such thing as a zone defense.  He was so fast that no defensive back could cover him in man coverage.  He was a favorite receiver of Don Meredith and Roger Staubauch because he was always open.  That's why his 71 touchdowns still stand as a Cowboys record.  Despite these records, the Cowboys just recently added him to their Ring of Honor. 

Bob Hayes has been overlooked for football honors because he got into legal trouble after his retirement.  Compare that to Rose's rules violation committed while he was active in his sport.  Sure, Rose holds the hits record, but he did not do anything that completely changed the way the game of baseball is played.  Besides, the way some players are playing now, that hits record may not stand much longer.  Now, if Bob Hayes can't get admitted to the Football Hall of Fame for legal trouble he committed after he was out of the game, why would Rose think he should get in after committing a violation while still active?

Before playing football, Bob Hayes won Olympic gold medals.  He was known as the fastest human being alive.  In football, a receiver with that kind of speed can easily dominate defenses trying to cover him.  In an interview prior to his death, Hayes said that he is not really bitter about being overlooked by football.  After all, the Cowboys Ring of Honor was just in Texas.  The Football Hall of Fame is in Canton, but the Olympics span the whole world.  He considers having those medals as the ultimate sports achievement.  He can, however, claim a Super Bowl ring to add to them.  He's still the only person that can say that.

Bob Hayes' on-field performance was good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame just as Rose's.  If the eight players from the ?Black Sox? had confessed, would they have been reinstated?  That's doubtful.  We'll never know since they were really banned for life.  Professional sports cannot afford to apply different standards when considering eligibility of their players.  For some reason Pete Rose seems to think he is above the rest and should have special consideration. The precedent is there, though, to uphold his sentence.   Still, we can beat this horse to death, and he'll let us.  The league needs to make a decision soon and put this all to rest or it will never go away.