My Thoughts About the Latest Decision from Major League Baseball

I was scrolling through my phone and thought that the story I ran into was fake. However, after looking into it, sadly, it was true. It was announced by Commissioner Rob Manfred that Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson's lifetime bans from baseball have officially been lifted. This means that both are eligible to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose had been banned from baseball since 1989 for betting on baseball. Meanwhile, Jackson and seven others were accused of giving away the 1919 World Series.

So, what has been my reaction to the news? I don't agree with the decision made by Rob Manfred. I've said in my previous stories that any form of cheating was an unforgiveable act, including betting on baseball. There are die-hard baseball fans like me who still care about the integrity of the game. In other words, we care and praise players who don't and never cheated for personal or professional gain, especially to win awards. This latest decision from the Commissioner doesn't change my mind about Pete Rose, 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, or any player who is still banned from baseball and Hall of Fame consideration. I'll never praise players for cheating, because it sends the wrong message to prospects and rookies, thinking that cheating of any kind is acceptable. A few months ago, I saw a picture of Roger Clemens and his son, who I feel we'll see in the big leagues one day. I hope that Roger isn't encouraging his son to cheat in any way.

Some of the players from the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot that I believe deserve to be in Cooperstown one day are David Wright, Andruw Jones, and Francisco Rodríguez. These players are more deserving, because they are beloved by the respective teams they were on and the fans themselves. They weren't involved in any kind of scandals. I didn't like Rob Manfred trying to play both sides of the fence. The aforementioned players were banned for a reason, but all of a sudden, he turns around and reinstates them and made this controversial move once both men passed away. He's a complete hypocrite, because when the Astros cheating scandal broke, he didn't severely punish the players and not strip them of a World Series title that they didn't earn. Instead, the Astros players were given immunity, and the team was fined. Even if Rose, Jackson, or Bonds were to be inducted into the Hall, hypothetically speaking, I'll always be opposed to it. My feelings about them wouldn't change at all. They'll always be cheaters in my eyes. I don't care how good they were as players. Once you cheat, you automatically lose respect and trust from fans. I don't feel sorry for players or respect players who cheat, because they didn't care who they have hurt or how their actions affected the league or their respective teams.

Both Rose and Jackson will be eligible for the Classic Baseball Era Committee as early as December 2027. Just because they've been reinstated, it doesn't mean the criticism will disappear. I don't see that happening anytime soon. Now that both men have been officially reinstated, that means that everyone assumes that this decades-long debate has finally concluded, right? Wrong. According to the comments on one article about this topic, many people disagreed with MLB's decision, while there were a few who supported it. In one of the comments, someone wrote that character plays a huge part of being in the Baseball Hall of Fame and I 100% agree with them. Also, integrity matters when it comes to a player being in the Hall, the two things that Pete Rose should've taken into consideration. The things that Pete Rose had done got himself banned from baseball in the first place. He did those things to himself. I don't believe that players who have used performance-enhancing drugs should be in the Hall. If you support Pete Rose or any other players who have been banned from baseball, by all means, be my guest. I was more disappointed in the news of the Commissioner's decision than furious. No matter how many players the Commissioner reinstates, my opinions on those who cheat will never change. I don't see this latest news as a win, because there are other players who aren't in the Hall of Fame and haven't cheated and are more deserving to be in Cooperstown.

Did you agree or disagree with Major League Baseball's latest decision? Also, which current or former player would you want to see be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Sound off in the comments below and be sure to like this story. Also, follow me on my socials. Finally, please send me a one-off tip at the end of this story to support my work as I continue to write and publish more stories.