Should Pete Rose be elected to the HOF before Barry Bonds?
449095
First of all, don't forget Shoeless Joe Jackson! Rose should already be in - as a first ballot inductee.  If there is a Hall of Fame, then his playing career numbers are among the best in MLB history.  Bonds should also get in.  Assuming he took steroids, his pre seroid numbers easily qualify him for first ballot induction.  \n\nIs anyone opposing the induction of Rose and Bonds aware of  the character flaws of prior inductees?  Cobb allegedly killed his father in law.  A high percentage of HOF members who played in the 70's through the 90's used "greenies" (available in the clubhouse!!!) - illegal without a medical prescription!!!  A few pitchers (illegally) threw spit balls to enhance their careers. \n\nFurthermore, arguably baseball wouldn't be as popular today without having gone through a steroids period.  Consider that the cancellation of the World Series by the owners as an over reaction to a labor dispute created a bad odor over all of baseball.  When MLB baseball resumed, fan interest had declined significantly.  It wasn't until the (perhaps steroid induced) homerun barrage, highlighed by the colossal battle between McGuire and Sosa, that fans fully returnd their attention to baseball.  So, perhaps steroids brought the fans back and fattened the pocket books of the owners (who are also complicid in this).  If steroids were the reason, who lost (I don't for a moment discount the trajedy of some hero worshipping teen thinking steroids are ok; and then causing serious injury to his life).  \n\nSome argue that the concept of comparing statistics from one era to another is no longer possible and that records no longer mean anything.  Well, even  without steroids, it still would not be possible to accurately compare the statistis of one era to another.  Yes, Ruth as unbelievable as his stats were, (hence the term "Ruthian"), still can't be compared to later day stats. Ruth didn't compete against the best athletes of his day - only the best white athletes (due to the racist rules of the owners)!!! (Interesting, as an aside, in the off season, while "barnstorming" he competed against Negro League all stars.)  Also, Ruth played in few night games (there weren't any until the late '30s).  Also there was no plane travel to the Left Coast.  There were only 8 teams; none further west than St louis nor further south than Washingon (DC).  Travel was relatively easy.  In short, a players statistics can only be compared to those who played in his era.  \n\nThe Hall of Fame is only for the top 1% of a particular era.  And, in view of all the character flaws of the existing members of the HOF, voters have (and should continue to) only looked at what transpired "between the lines".  Would anyone argue that Rose, Bonds AND Shoeless Joe Jackson were not in the top 1% of players in their respective eras?
1146761
No.  He's a very, very good player.  But very, very good players don't go to the hall of fame.  Special ones do.  He's not that special.  He had 46 HR's last year - but in today's game, that's nothing special.
1182838
Definitely. Bonds is the face of the Giants. Ask anyone on the streets anywhere (even the little kids) to name a player from the SF Giants and most everyone will answer Bonds. Though Bonds' speed has greatly diminished (taking away his basestealing threat), he is still a threat to hit one out of the park every time he steps up to the plate. I'm too young to have witnessed most of Bonds' other feats (esp. his speed on the basepaths), but he has been the most exciting player to watch in baseball for the past few years while he was hitting homers at that torrid pace. We might never see another player like Bonds...not only in SF but anywhere else in the league for that matter - and most Giants fans realize this..which is why they still love him. Barry will always be Barry, despite his bad attitude and alleged steorid use...you can't deny he's had tremendous impact on the game of baseball. Fact of the matter is, if it weren't for Barry, half the fans who come out to the park probably even wouln't show up at AT&T this year.
378469
I listened to a program about this on the radio. They said that back in the first part of the 20th century, Gambling on baseball was a plaugue that threatened the integrity of the entire sport. So they came down hard on gambling with extremely strict rules. Pete Rose was a casualty of those old rules.\n\nThe steriod users are not subject to rules that strict because they havent been written...YET. I see very tough rules coming down the pipe that may one day be the undoing of a future athlete, but not these guys today.
640924
Barry doesnt deserve the record. He isnt even worthy enogh of an asterisk. Barry Bonds is a cheater and should be band from the game with his stats from 1999 - 2004 erased. If you ask me, Barry Bonds was an amazing player and when he started BALCO he destoyed himself. was $7,000,000 not good enogh for him, he needed steroids so he could make more? I will be booing all the way, if he cries, I'll laugh. He will beat the Babe, but lets see him get 300 more home runs without drugs, win 95 games, and use crappier bats, ball, walls 500 feet away, and do it drunk. The Babe is better than Bonds, he has more home runs in less games, that should be the only thing you need to determine whose better. Along with a batting average of .342, I mean c'mon.
1146476
I totally agree! \nI read an article that was about Barry Bonds BEFORE he made it to the majors.  He was playing in college.  He was so mean and cruel to his good natured teamates (he even broke into the house of one of them to steal some jam) that the coach finally decided to take a vote: should Bonds stay or go?  Bonds was the star of the team, but every player except 2 voted that he should go.  The coach said that since it wasn't ananymous, Bonds would stay.  Good thing, too, because if he had let Bonds go, Barry's 'big, scary daddy' would have beat the coach up.  Barry Bonds has had his hand held, and he's not used to anyone hating him.\nHe couldn't stand the attention Sosa and Mcquire were getting in the homerun race, and so Mr. Attention-seeker got jealous and used steroids, which left him in a big mess. 'Fb2005team3' is right. He was TOTALLY skinny before, and actually a great, HOF bound player!  Now he's a fatso who won't live past 60.
866691
absolutely!!! they got to be famous by cheating, and that is not fair to the athletes that used hard work and determination in order to get to the majors!! Babe Ruth is the #2 all-time HR hitter in my mind
630538
Why would you honor someone for being #2?  Hank Aaron is the Home Run King not Babe Ruth.  Therefore, there he shouldn't be honored.  Also, with the his shady image regarding steroids he doesn't deserve to be honored.  MLB would be sending the wrong image if they honor him if or when he breaks Hank Aaron's record.
214852
No.  If he did do steroids, and he probably did, it was not against basball rules at the time.\nPete Rose clearly violated one of the cardinal rules of MLB
1103339
Yes he should because he played the game. He was wrong not to turn the others in BUT that shouldn't keep him out of the Hall. He should have been kept out of the game, forced to retire. The ones who were cheating should have been kept out of the Hall. Bonds isn't IN THE HALL for the record. Neither is Big Mac, who proably won't get in. I'm sure he is pissed that Bonds hasn't retired because Bonds is a reminder of that era and it will make the voters vote against him as a punishment to what he likely did. Until they are in you can't compare the two situations.
813257
Bernie is a Yankee!!   Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Whitey Ford, Joe DiMaggio, were Yankees and only Yankees.  Bernie is on a very special list of players to wear only Yankees pin strips.  Even Yogi Berra can't say that as he played briefly with the Mets before retiring.  If the Yankees offer him a contract, good, if not retire.  My only concern would be that in my humble opinion Bernie would need 300 career home runs and 2500 career hits to give him a real shot at the Hall of Fame.  Right now he is just short on both counts.  With 4 world series rings and 6 AL pennants and a batting title he still might make it.
1169903
He's decent but I wouldn't say he was the greatest. Not even close to being the greatest. In my opinion Pete Rose was the greatest player on earth. But i do have a biased opinion because I love the Cincinnati Reds
561079
If it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Barry Bonds was on steroids during his career, his records should not have an asterisk beside it...it should be erased from all record books.  And that goes for any baseball player who was on steroids during their career.  And the Commissioner's stance on punishing Pete Rose is getting flimsier with each passing day.  Less than 5 years after the Commisioner resigns, is kicked out or replaced, no one will be able to recall his name,  but baseball fans will forever remember Pete Rose as the best hitter of all time.
613479
I think that Barry Bonds should be up there with his godfather, Willie Mays, but not with the babe and hank arron. Without the steriods he still would have hit a ton, even if what the book Game of Shadows says is true, and he started in 1998, the pace that he was going on, he still probably would have reached 600. And even 600 is enough to be put in the same category as the babe and aaron, but not worthy of being on the exact same level as the two greatest homerun hitters of all time.
153095
All time hits king. He deserves to be there,and it's a damn shame that hes not. People make mistakes. If Darryl Strawberry gets a million chances for snorting cocaine over and over again. Pete Rose,one of the greatest hitters ever,deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Bud Selig is an idiot!!!! I am pissed off now that I have to think hes not in the Hall of Fame.
230499
First of all I do not support steroid use and personally yes I do believe Barry Bonds knowingly took steroids.  However, just because he juiced up did not mean he did not have the ability to hit these homeruns, just because he "juiced" up did not make him able to see the ball better etc.  He has to have natural ability and has to be a great athlete to accomplish what he has.  Yes the steroids made him stronger but he still had to have the abilty to make contact with the ball and steroids did not cause that to happen.  So no I do not think they should take his record away, just like I do not believe it is right for Pete Rose to be banned from the "Hall of Fame".  Yes it says in the rules it is illegal to bet on baseball games as a player or manager but NOWHERE does it say if caught you will be banned from being in the Hall.  Which is something he earned as a player before he was ever caught betting on baseball
956762
Pete Rose is a self serving, egotistical, lying priiick!!  Plain and simple!   He should be banned from baseball for life. . .as should all cheaters!!!   He is also a complete DORK!