When news broke that the Houston Astros were stealing signs — and giving their hitters a heads up on what pitches were coming — during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose was quick to speak about the scandal.
Rose — who, back in 1989, was placed on the ineligible list for Hall of Fame inclusion for betting baseball games — was quick to point out what he saw as a double standard. In a mid-January interview with nj.com, Rose was critical of MLB's response to the Astros' illegal stealing of signs. While coaches and the organization were punished, the players got off "scot-free," as he put it.
"I was wrong, but I didn’t taint the game," Rose said. “If I’m a player and every time I bat I’m getting the signs from the dugout, I’m just as guilty as the guy who is giving me the signs," he later added in the interview. "What about the players who were behind this and taking the knowledge?"
According to ESPN, Rose has now formally asked commissioner Rob Manfred to take him off of the ineligible list and end his lifetime band from baseball, which would conceivably open up a chance for Rose to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In the petition for reinstatement, Rose's lawyers argue that their client's punishment was "vastly disproportionate" compared to what befell the Astros players and coaches, as well as players who have used performance-enhancing drugs.
"There cannot be one set of rules for Mr. Rose and another for everyone else," the petition states, according to ESPN. "No objective standard or categorization of the rules violations committed by Mr. Rose can distinguish his violations from those that have incurred substantially less severe penalties from Major League Baseball."
Rose reportedly wants to meet with Manfred to discuss the matter. MLB has not commented on the situation yet.
Rose is MLB's all-time leader in hits, games played, at-bats and singles. Were it not for MLB's lifetime ban, he would certainly have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
UPDATE: The current President of the United States of America agrees with Rose, tweeting today (Feb. 8) that it was time to "GET PETE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME."
