Unless it's proved he bet against his own team, I don't consider that Rose did anything unethical. Stupid, maybe. Against the rules, OK. But when you introduce moral issues, I shift over to his side. Gambling isn't unethical. If you had to bet your life there weren't already players in the HOF who bet on baseball, which way would you lean? This is just another episode in the ongoing morality crusade by one small, pathetic segment of society that can't deal with the fact that the world no longer works the way their mommies and daddies told them it did.
As for your tough guys analogy, I wouldn't attempt to deny them an honor they'd earned because I disapproved of their actions. Loudmouthed fools deserve the same chance at being recognized for their good works as Mother Teresa. Just as do lying gamblers. You worry about Pete Rose's impact on society, teach your kids what you think is right, end of story, and leave everyone else to make their own judgements for themselves.
By the way, speaking of the tough guys: to Mark Del -- didn't see your tearful defense of Italians (and the accompanying Al Sharpton-level assertion that I'm a racist) until today. You'd be able to make a better case for the wonderful generosity and stand-up reliability of your fellow countrymen if you yourself weren't a slinking thief in the night.
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I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.
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