NEW YORK, 9 January 2004 — As Pete Rose prepared Tuesday for a national tour on behalf of the book that serves as his betting confessional, there was no clear indication of where his possible reinstatement by baseball is headed, if anywhere.
However, a high-ranking official said emphatically that if Rose is reinstated at some point, “it will be with lots of limits and restrictions.”
The official said he could not be specific, insisting that Commissioner Bud Selig has not made a decision regarding reinstatement or what conditions might accompany it.
He acknowledged the possibility, however, that Rose could be reinstated only to the extent of having his Hall of Fame eligibility restored while prohibited from taking any job that would put him in uniform, including that of a manager.
It’s also possible that full reinstatement would only follow a period of probation, although the official said that “in a de facto sense, Rose has been on probation since he met with Bud” in November 2002 and first confessed to having bet on baseball.
Selig refused to comment Tuesday, saying it would be inappropriate because he is both judge and jury in the Rose case, but the high-ranking official said the limitations on Rose’s possible reinstatement would be aimed at reducing the risk of embarrassment.
“The guy has embarrassed the game enough,” the official said. “Bud won’t make any decision until he is sure that won’t happen again.”
Perhaps it already has.
Industry officials were irritated by Rose’s apparent effort, as one official said, “to exploit the Hall of Fame buzz.”
He referred to the fact that Tuesday’s announcement of the Hall of Fame election of Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley seemed overshadowed by the media reaction to Rose’s confession.
The book — “My Prison Without Bars” — in which Rose confirms the conclusion of investigator John Dowd that he bet on baseball as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, resulting in his lifetime ban in 1989, initially was scheduled for March distribution.
Even Molitor said Tuesday he was a “little disappointed” with the timing of Rose’s confession and the release of his book because it steals some of his and Eckersley’s spotlight.
“I also understand Pete’s been trying to get back in the game for a long time and is trying to maximize his opportunity,” Molitor said.
Rose, of course, is intent on reaching the Hall of Fame himself and knows that his confession was a mandatory step toward possible reinstatement.
