Every few years there is talk about overturning the Pete Rose case. That happened while he was alive and now posthumously. Rob Manfred wants to give the appearance of being fair but in this case there’s no reason to do that. The Dowd report stands on its own. Fay Vincent still feels the same way too.
This report is free and accessible to everybody out there. One of the first lines states that Rose denied betting on baseball under oath. Under oath. Lying about this was the wrong move. Coming clean would have shown some remorse and maybe that would have given him a chance to gain entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It took way too long for Rose to finally tell the truth.
Athletes and coaches are forbidden to gamble on their sport. A sign used to be on display when I was in baseball locker rooms for a two-year period, and I imagine they’re still there. There is no good reason to let him in. And notice nobody ever reexamines the Shoeless Joe Jackson case. Nope.
Robot Umps and Pitcher Challenges
Both of these things are good for the game. Some changes have to occur and both of these are good. Framing pitches was an art but it was about fooling the umpires and from what I’ve seen live and on television, you can’t fool the robot umpires. Older pitchers like Max Scherzer won’t like it but that’s ok. He either has to adjust or retire. Sorry to say, this is the wave of the future.
David Stearns Lost Quintana and Iglesias
The Mets pitching injuries will hurt them out of the gate and letting the Milwaukee Brewers sign starter Jose Quintana was a sign of stubbornness. Stearns can continue to invite in players or dole out minor league contracts but that doesn’t guarantee success.
Iglesias deserved at least a guaranteed one-year deal. He didn’t even get that with the Padres. I’m not sure why but he was worth a lot more to the Mets. I get that some young players can fill the gaps, but Starling Marte isn’t going to play that much, and Jeff McNeil can play the outfield, so I believe there was room for Iglesias, but the Mets general manager saw it differently.
