Kaline says lifting ban on Rose could harm baseball's image

[Louis Cypher]

Thursday, March 6, 2003

By Rob Parker / The Detroit News

LAKELAND, Fla.--If the news that Pete Rose could be reinstated by baseball as soon as June 1 concerns you, you're not alone.

Hall of Famer Al Kaline is with you.

Kaline isn't against Rose getting a pardon from baseball for his gambling ills -- although he's not for it, either -- but he said he thinks baseball could be setting itself up for trouble with past and future players.

"That's the one thing," said Kaline, who was at Joker Marchant Stadium on Wednesday. "By doing it, you open a can of worms.

"If you do something for one person, you have to go back and say well maybe somebody else should be in, too."

Such as Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was banned from baseball after the Chicago Black Sox scandal in 1919.

Worse, as Kaline points out, is what will baseball do if a current superstar is caught gambling on the game?

"How do you say, 'Well, you can't play, you're out of the game?' " Kaline said.

Just like one of his throws from right field, Kaline is on the money.

Baseball's integrity is bigger than any commissioner, owner or player. It's what separates baseball from pro wrestling.

"You have to think very seriously about the integrity of the game," Kaline said. "It's the most important thing. You can't have fans in the stands thinking that maybe somebody might have done this or done that."

And when fans aren't sure what's happening on the field is real, not scripted or faked, you no longer have a sport. You have entertainment.

"Our sport, any sport, can't have it," Kaline said. "If someone strikes out with the bases loaded, somebody will say he was betting on the game, stupid things like that. You can't have people thinking that way."

Nonetheless, it appears baseball will turn its head and give Rose the ultimate pass. According to a USA TODAY story Wednesday, Rose could be reinstated by Commissioner Bud Selig in three months and be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2005. Among the conditions for Rose's reinstatement is an admission that he bet on baseball and the Cincinnati Reds while managing that team.

Originally, Rose received, and accepted, a lifetime ban from baseball in August 1989 after being investigated for gambling -- baseball's cardinal sin. Every clubhouse has a huge sign in it saying a player would face banishment for gambling.

The big question is, why is baseball ready to welcome Charlie Hustle back -- now?

"The only thing I can think about is that our commissioner is thinking about leaving," Kaline said, "and he might want to do something popular so that his stay in baseball looks like a big success."

If this were just about statistics, Rose would be a shoo-in for the Hall. He is baseball's career leader in hits (4,256). That's why most fans, at least judging by the results of polls over the years, believe Rose should be in the Hall of Fame regardless of anything he did as a manager.

"There's no question that Pete belongs in the Hall based on numbers," Kaline said. "You can name five guys that have to be in the Hall of Fame, and he would be one. It all gets back to the fact that this game should never be questioned about its integrity."

That would be impossible with Rose back in it.

Rob Parker's column appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can reach him at rparker@detnews.com.

[Louis Cypher]

ANOTHER RELATED TIGERS STORY:

Thursday, March 6

Associated Press


DETROIT -- The widow of a man who died of a heart attack at a Detroit Tigers game claims the team did not train its employees to handle a medical emergency and did not have lifesaving equipment available.

Alice Camp of the Detroit suburb of Clinton Township filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Detroit Tigers Inc. in Wayne County Circuit Court over the death of her husband.

Bill Camp had a heart attack at a Tigers-Mariners game at Comerica Park in 2000.

Nearby medical professionals from Mount Clemens General Hospital, who were attending the game, began emergency treatment, the lawsuit said.

They asked stadium employees for medical equipment, including a heart defibrillator, but received only a stretcher that had straps but no buckles, according to the lawsuit.

The straps were tied around Bill Camp, but failed to hold him securely to the stretcher, the suit said. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The lawsuit said the Tigers organization gave the impression that its employees could handle medical emergencies at the stadium.

Prior to the April 12 game at which Bill Camp died, the Tigers purchased an 8-pound portable heart starter and a larger model defibrillator that were to be installed in the park's nurse's station.

Also, the retailer that sold the heart device issued a press release saying the stadium would have a defibrillator in place for this year's home opener April 11.

"We have not seen the lawsuit, so obviously, we're not in a position to comment," Tigers spokesman Cliff Russell said Thursday.

Alice Camp said she suffered "severe emotional distress and trauma" due to witnessing her husband's death and is asking for damages in excess of $25,000, lawyers' fees and court costs.

Also named in the suit are Olympia Entertainment Inc. and Olympia Entertainment Tiger Ballpark Inc.

[Fishhead]

Kaline shouldnt be talking......he was hanging out with me at Joker Marchant Stadium yesterday. Where are his morals???

[Avon Barksdale]

Why does this thread have so many page views?

[Louis Cypher]

Avon,

Go figure, I've noticed the same thing before on other threads...who knows, maybe it reads like an odometer and someone can go into the system and tweak with it anytime they want...LOL.

LC

[rabbit]

If there's no evidence that Rose was middlin' games, MLB should let bygones be bygones.

[mjh218]

Baseballs image...what a freakin joke!!