Editorials

Tommy Lasorda Believes Pete Rose Should Remain Banned For Life

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 All-Star Game in Cincinnati is in the books, with some of the highlights being hometown hero Todd Frazier outdueling Los Angeles Dodgers centerfielder Joc Pederson in the Home Run Derby, Mike Trout hitting a lead off home run in the Mid Summer Classic and Pete Rose getting a big ovation from the Cincinnati crowd before the game.

Rose joined Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Barry Larking as the Franchise Four for the Reds and was honored before the game on the field. The all-time hits leader was banned from baseball for life in 1989 for betting on baseball. His name has again began circling lately when baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he would meet with Rose about a possible reinstatement.



According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, former Dodgers manager and longtime Dodgers ambassador Tommy Lasorda, who coached Rose in the 1978 All-Star Game, would not be ok with Rose being reinstated:

You have got to be out,” Lasorda said. “He has got to be suspended for life.”

That rule is made clear frequently to every coach and player in baseball, if you bet on the game then you are banned for life. Lasorda thinks that rule should hold no exceptions:

If you are stupid enough to go out and bet on your own team and bet on baseball, there has got to be something wrong. If my brother did it, I’d say the same thing.”

Lasorda went on to add that he and Rose are friends, but he believes there should be no exceptions.

Rose, who is baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256 hits in his 24-year career, is currently an analyst for Fox Sports, the closest he can get to baseball as he is not allowed to be involved with the operations of any team, and he is not eligible to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

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12 Comments

  1. Wow, Daniel; Chapman is my Alma Mater. “Him and Rose are friends”? Really, Bro? C’mon now!

    1. I’ve come to expect horrible grammar from the commenters, but when the writers whiff I flinch.

      1. Right? And how much is tuition at Chapman now? And he’s a junior and a journalism major?!?

  2. Tommy U know better than that life is too short and Rose made a huge mistake but his playing on the field is unquestionable,If U are a fair man..don’t deny that fact n push for Pete on the Hall..All of Us Sin at some point of another N that includes U!

    1. If Rose had not lied about betting as a player, then maybe I would agree with you. But to deny that for 30 years knowing that he did it makes me believe that the ban should remain.

      1. The way this country is being ruined 2 the ground,n criminals r being let out of jail You r concerned about Rose’s screw ups..Its time 4 this guy 2 b in the HOF
        30 years is enough punishment!!

        1. If you’re going to bring the state of society into the discussion, then we should realize how meaningless baseball really is in the big picture. As far as I’m concerned, I can separate the two fairly easier and I know wrong is wrong…so, keep Pete out. Whether our country is in great condition or not is irrelevant.

          Perhaps you should just worry about more important things, like grammar and spelling.

  3. You have thieves, murderers, wife beaters, full blown racists and cheaters of all sorts in the baseball Hall of Fame….. Rose fits right in. You don’t think other players bet on their teams? Did he ever throw a game? NO!! IF you are going to talk about character as part of the deal as an entrance in the HOF then you better start cleaning out the building. Pete Rose IS a Hall of Fame player, easily among the 25 best to ever play the game, ever. He has served his time, let him in….. Oh and as for Lasorda, I’m a lifelong Dodger fan. Lasorda was a mediocre manager at best, all ego and spaghetti. He, on average cost the team 8 to 10 games a year as he was out-managed by the other team. He is one to talk……..

  4. my brother wrote this article and he is very intelligent! I just laugh at the people that have nothing better to do with their lives then comment on one stupid grammar mistake. Yes Chapman is expensive and hard to get into my brother had over a 4.2 gpa all while playing baseball! I’m proud of you Daniel and your success so far as a writer 🙂

  5. Murderers do less time that Rose has done being banned for so long.
    Maybe one day we can do the right thing and REMOVE, wife beaters, drug felons, drunk drivers, law breakers, racists, adulterers, from the HOF. But we’d end up with one of two players. Tommy needs to be silent of this one.

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