Remember Pete Rose?
Me too. Charlie Hustle. Most hits in baseball. A real stand-up guy unless he was rounding
the bases.
He famously said, “Sliding headfirst is the safest way to get to the next base,
I think, and the fastest. You don't lose your momentum, and there's one more
important reason I slide headfirst, it gets my picture in the paper.”
On August 24th, 1989, twenty three years ago today, he was banned from
baseball for gambling by Commissioner Giamatti, who, by the way, died one week
later of a heart attack. That’s right, he
literally died of a broken heart after he placed Pete Rose on the ineligible
list. Pete was the manager of the Reds
at the time, and even though there was no evidence to show that he bet against
his own team, MLB rules explicitly prohibited gambling, particularly when in a
position to influence the game.
My question is: what kind of rule is that? Obviously you don’t want to have players
throwing games to win money. That’s what
happened in the 1919 World Series when the Black Sox conspired with gamblers to
lose. That’s what seems to have become
of American boxing, at least with respect to the judges. And that’s no fun – money determining the
outcome. Integrity of the sport and all.
But what’s wrong with betting on yourself? Why should that be prohibited? Isn’t that basically what we are all doing
all the time, in most of our major decisions every day? When
we consciously invest time and resources into developing ourselves through any
number of mechanisms, from education to exercise to socializing, isn’t that choice
to spend time and resources really just a bet – a bet that certain actions are
better than their alternatives? I think
it really boils down to a question of semantics, and that’s the point. We bet on/invest in ourselves all the time.
Intentionally causing failure from inside a
network for financial gain is another animal altogether, however. Often, that’s called being a traitor and is
despised. Sometimes, that’s called
investment banking, and is rewarded with wealth and political office. Break it down like that, and I’m on Pete’s
side.
Put Charley Hustle in the Hall of Fame, and, if moral character is your thing, focus
a little less on sports and a little more on the guys who actually run the world and where
they place their bets, yeah? Meanwhile,
let’s not punish people for betting on themselves and sliding in face-first, as
long as they’re not punching babies or something on the way to home base.
This week’s Friday Happy Hour is the 1st
Annual Pete Rose Memorial (not dead, but post-MLB) Rhino Friday Happy
Hour. Half-price drinks and food,
5-9pm. Order a cocktail, add a splash of
Rose’s Lime Juice, and drink it with
a grin: you might know something most don’t.
See you there!
Cheers!
