But Rose bet upwards of tens of thousands of dollars on his team to win. TO FREAKING WIN. As a manager of a major league ballclub what is your goal on a day-to-day basis? Win. So is having money on YOUR team to win going to change your managerial techniques? No. And if you have, $10,000 worth of confidence in your team to win isn’t that a good thing too?
Is it wrong he bet… Probably. Should he be banned from baseball, any front office position, coaching role or playing…. Probably.
But, what is what Pete Rose did as a manager any worse than what Lou Piniella and Bobby Cox are doing right now?
Not a thing.
Exactly, What is he smokin'?
Piniella and Cox both announced their retirements after the season, during the season. So technically they are holding their respective team’s hostage for the next 3 months.
But they have earned it. Piniella has 1800 wins and Cox has 2400, they can call it quits whenever.
No, they can’t. Nobody is above the game, not even two 60 something year old managers. They have been around the game of baseball, they know what it takes to make it through an entire season, and they know the ups and downs of the game. So they should well enough know if they are going to make it through the season before it starts.
And what’s wrong with retiring mid-season? Ken Griffey did it, he felt he was hurting the team by not being fully committed so he opened a roster spot and moved on. Classy move.
Instead these 2 managers are eating sunflower seeds on the team’s dime; leaving his family at home to go on cross country trips. Who really wins here??? A manager whose motives can be misconstrued, and players doubting his will to continue and even win. His family counting down the days till their beloved dad, grandpa, or uncle comes home.
When the passion ceases to exist anymore, just get out.
[Okay, I have 2 tangents to continue here.
One, is the passion. All players have it one way or another, just in different levels. And this may be the only time, ever, I give props to Brett Favre.
He wants to play, he wants to get after it, he wants to go in Monday mornings at 6:30 after a loss and revisit all his mistakes. His passion is undeniable, he just needs to make up his freaking mind sooner.
Another player is Pete Rose. His passion to win is bigger than anyone out there. And that lack of passion in the game today is hurting the sport and the fans. He was willing to do whatever it took to win, ie 1970 All-Star Game. He did whatever it took on an individual basis to win. 4256 hits, Derek Jeter has 1400 fewer to put it in perspective. And him not being in the HOF is a crying shame. He may be considered the best player to ever lace up turf shoes and/or cleats. So as is, the MLB Hall of Fame is a sham for not allowing such a great player in. Might as well vote Barry Bonds in, can’t have one unjustified act without another.]
There you have it, you’ve been diagnosed.
Well here is my comment. As the coaches go, I aree 100%. I hate to compare sports to politics but here I go. While I agree with most if not all of the things said by former Gov. of Alaska and VP hopeful Sarah Palin, I no longer respect her because she left an office in which the voters gave to her.
ReplyDeleteIn the same spectrum, I believe coaches, for the sake of their team, should wait to retire until after the season. When they don't they become a disraction for their team. Aren't coaches always harping on how the less distractions a team has, the better off they will be?
This segways into a problem I have with pro athletes in general, ie Darrell Revis. You signed a contract! Now because you feel you deserve more you will break that legal contract. That is wrong. It is up to your boss to give you a raise, and it is up to the front office to renew your contract.
As far as Rose goes, I do not believe he belongs in the HOF. He broke the rules, and he has to live with that mistake. It is the same with Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds. No question that Rose(along with McGuire and Bonds) was an unbelievable player and talent. But if you break rules and laws, then you have to live with the concequences.
Overall, I agree with the Doctors Diagnosis.
Darrell Revis, I feel, is doing what is right. This upcoming year he is scheduled to make just over a million dollars. And for the best player at his position he deserves to be paid that way. He MORE than deserves a raise. Its like any job, if you are working on salary and you are outperforming your contract with the company and bringing more sales/money for the company don't you think they deserve a raise? The answer is an obvious yes.
ReplyDeleteAnd betting is not directly against any rules in baseball, its just extremely frowned upon. And he bet 52 times, all of which were for the Big Red Machine to win. Not cover the line, to win. So you can't just pretend like the best hitter to ever live does not exist, because of what he did. As a society we should promote the good in the a person... even if he doesn't always smell like a ROSE!
Lame duck Managers - Braves are winning, Cubs are losing. Cox is still engaged. Piniella isn't. Just like any company - the Cubs owner needs to assume control of the weak about-to-retire manager, while the Braves let the finishing-strong manager finish strong. But, that's the Cubs - nuff said.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Rose THE PLAYER didn't bet on baseball!! That was Rose the Manager - correct? The problem with the sports gambling is that you can't rely on the players/managers/front office personnel to actually bet on their team to win. If it was that simple, then it wouldn't be against the rules. It is too hard to regulate, so it is a simple - don't do it rule. Yet, at this point in time, given the incredibly worse things that sports folks have done than "betting on their team" and the fact that the singular most passionate baseball player of all time has been THOROUGHLY investigated on this issue AND he is the hit leader of all time by a LONG margin - then it is time to put Rose the PLAYER into the HOF. Of course, even if Rose never gets into the HOF, the sports world knows who one of the best baseball players of all time is. He just doesn't have a ceremony.
Revis deserves a raise. The Jets have probably presented a huge generous increase to him. Apparently, it's not enough for him (see Portis, formerly from Denver, and any other number of contractual personnel - not just pro athletes). That's the rub. So, he is forcing the Jets to enforce his contract - which they probably will compromise on eventually. The proposed Jets' increase is probably several times his current salary - that's enough. Highest paid DB - with the risk of injury after one practice - trade him and get the next best DB.