YANKS WILL IMPLY JUDGE IS TO BLAME IF THEY FALL SHORT THIS SEASON

 I'm writing this for one reason: So it's on the record.

Mark. My. Words.

I've been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. Sure, there was that brief detour as a little kid in Kentucky when Pete Rose had me convinced the Reds were the center of the baseball universe. Then my family moved to New Jersey in 1978, I discovered Ron Guidry, and that little phase disappeared faster than a hanging slider.

So let me clear something up, because people seem to struggle with this.

I can love the Yankees while relentlessly criticizing the people running them. Those aren't conflicting ideas. They're roommates.

I love this team. I love the history, the pinstripes, the expectations, and the players who wear them. What I don't love is watching a front office that's become addicted to spreadsheets, a general manager who keeps recycling the same mistakes, and a manager who somehow turns every high-pressure situation into an improv comedy.

That's why what I'm about to say matters.

If the Yankees don't win the World Series in 2026—and right now that feels more likely than not—the organization already has its built-in excuse.

Aaron Judge.

Not Aaron Boone's baffling in-game decisions.

Not Brian Cashman's questionable roster construction.

Not the holes at catcher.

Not the left side of the infield.

Not the inconsistent performances from players who were supposed to take the next step.

Nope. It'll all circle back to, "Well... we didn't have our best player."

And here's the thing: that's not Aaron Judge's fault.

Injuries are part of baseball. They happen. Nobody blames Judge for getting hurt.

Judge was officially transferred to the 60-day Injured List today, and his return doesn't appear to be around the corner. Since he landed on the IL on June 2, the Yankees have gone 18-19, exposing exactly what many of us have been saying for years: this lineup is far too dependent on one human being wearing No. 99.

That's not a Judge problem. That's an organizational problem.

The Yankees still need help behind the plate. They still need answers on the left side of the infield. Now they also need another legitimate middle-of-the-order bat to survive Judge's absence.

This is where a general manager earns his paycheck. This is where a manager proves he can actually manage instead of waiting for his superstar to bail him out.

Will they? History says probably not.

Will they once again fall short? I'd put my money on yes.

Will we all be sitting here in October hearing the same tired explanations while wondering how baseball's biggest brand keeps finding new ways to waste championship-caliber talent?

Unfortunately, that prediction feels like the safest bet of the season.

There, I said it.

JASSON DOMINGUEZ PLAYED LIKE A TRUE THROWBACK

Maybe this is the old man in me talking, but baseball today feels a little… moisturized. Everybody’s worried about “load management,” preserving bodies, launch angles, recovery days, sleep metrics, hydration charts, and whether a guy’s heart rate got too high jogging to first base. Somewhere along the way, baseball stopped looking like a game played by maniacs and started looking like an HR department seminar.

I grew up watching players who treated the warning track like it was optional and basic human safety like a rumor.

Pete Rose didn’t slide into bases — he tried to assassinate them. The man played baseball like he had unpaid parking tickets waiting at every bag. Headfirst dives, dirt in his teeth, jersey permanently stained brown. Nobody ever accused Pete Rose of “taking a smarter angle.” The only angle he knew was full speed.

Then you had Ken Griffey Sr. and Dave Winfield scaling outfield walls in Yankee Stadium like rent was due at midnight. Those guys didn’t jog toward fly balls calculating risk assessment percentages. They went after baseballs with the kind of recklessness normally associated with action movies and bad financial decisions.

And don’t even get me started on Derek Jeter launching himself face-first into the stands against Boston. The man basically became an airborne folding chair just to record an out. Bloody face, bruised shoulder and Yankee fans still replay that clip like it’s the Zapruder film. THAT was baseball.

And honestly, that’s why I’m rolling my eyes at everyone ripping Jasson Domínguez for smashing into the wall making that catch against Texas. People are calling it stupid. I’m calling it beautiful.

The kid ran 81 feet tracking a rocket off the bat, went full speed into the chain-link part of the wall, got absolutely detonated on impact, lost his sunglasses, lost his hat, probably briefly lost contact with several ancestors — and STILL held onto the baseball.

That’s not stupidity. That’s baseball DNA. That is why you play the game. That is why Sportscenter invented the 10 ten plays!

That’s “the run doesn’t score because I’m catching this ball no matter what happens afterward.”

And yes, he got hurt. Shoulder sprain. Concussion protocol. He’ll miss a few weeks. But since when did effort become something we criticize? Since when did “he played too hard” become an insult?

Baseball was built on lunatics doing unreasonable things for outs. Why? Because it's the greatest game ever made.

You know who else played like this? Aaron Rowand. That man once smashed face-first into the center-field wall in Philadelphia so hard it looked like he got hit by a city bus, then walked away bleeding because he caught the ball anyway. ESPN literally dubbed players like him part of the “All-Run-Through-A-Wall Team.” Aaron Rowand played center field like every fly ball had personally insulted his family.

And then there was Jim Edmonds — a human highlight. The guy treated diving catches like performance art. Half the time he’d leave his feet so dramatically you’d think he got launched out of a cannon.  Jim Edmonds basically created baseball pornography for SportsCenter. Before every phone became a television studio, people waited all night to see the SportsCenter Top 10 because some lunatic center fielder sacrificed his skeletal structure robbing a double in July.

That stuff MATTERED.

Now everybody immediately turns into a risk-management consultant.
“He should’ve protected himself.”
“He needs to think long-term.”
“He’s too valuable.”
“He shouldn’t risk injury in May.”

Man… what happened to us?

 

You play to WIN THE GAME. You play to steal outs. You play to make the pitcher walk back to the dugout screaming into his glove because you just erased a guaranteed extra-base hit.

And what makes Domínguez’s play even better is this: the kid easily could’ve coasted. He JUST came back from an elbow bruise. Nobody would’ve crushed him for pulling up a step early. Most modern players probably make the “business decision” there, let the ball bounce off the wall, and jog after it while pretending they almost had it.

Not Domínguez. He went full-send. And that’s why I respect it.

That’s also why I’ll always love guys like Harrison Bader. Sure, the guy gets hurt a lot. But every inning looks like his mortgage depends on making the next catch. There’s something refreshing about players who still play with chaos in them. Because baseball is supposed to have some chaos.

It’s supposed to have dirt-stained uniforms, guys crashing into walls, catchers blocking the plate, infielders diving into the hole, and outfielders running like their cleats are on fire. Not everything needs to be optimized by a sports scientist with an iPad and a protein shake.

Of course players should be smart. Nobody’s saying careers should end for one catch in May. But there’s a massive difference between being smart and being soft. And lately, the line between those two keeps getting blurrier.

So no, I’m not criticizing Jasson Domínguez. I’m applauding him. Because for one play, baseball looked dangerous again.

It looked emotional again.
It looked gritty again.
It looked like the game I grew up loving.

And honestly?
We need more of that.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

THE HALL OF FAME IS DEAD!

The news from yesterday has me sick. As soon as I saw the news I texted Casey because I was practically spitting bullets. I've had a few people tell me to get over it and stop talking about it but....I'm not gonna.

In case you didn't catch up on the baseball headlines yesterday Carlos Beltran was voted into the Hall of Fame. The sign stealing legend and head schemer of the 2017 Astros cheating scandal will become part of baseball's greatest honor.....let that sink in for a minute.

The man with no honor and integrity will forever be enshrined amongst the greatest names in the game. He's a disgrace to those who played the game with honor and passion like Derek Jeter. Jeter IS a hall of famer, Beltran is a horrible mistake with no honor. Will the Hall of Fame will ever be seen as a legitimate institution ever again? It's a fair question.

Beltran disgraced the game and should be shunned from baseball history just like Pete Rose was. Pete Rose, cheated OFF of the field and was banned from the sport and WAS ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration until May of 2025. He was made an example of. Nothing Rose did impacted the game during his playing time. He paid a high price that Beltran will never pay.

And you can't talk about scandals without talking about Shoeless Joe Jackson. He was banned from baseball in 1921 for his involvement in the "Black Sox Scandal," after he and some teammates conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. He was permanently banned by newly appointed MLB Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, to preserve the integrity of the game.....imagine that. Jackson cheated as a player and was held accountable. This is not the world we live in anymore.

However here we are a century later and Beltran cheated ON the field and has no consequences. He wasn't banned, weak pansy Rob Manfred protected him! The integrity that previous MLB commissioners fought to preserve has vanished. Two years after the scandal, Beltran was rewarded with a manager job for the Mets and just over two months later is removed from that role....all thanks to his involvement in the cheating scandal. He wasn't honorable enough to manager, but now he is honored by being inducted into the Hall of Fame? It's asinine.

So now that the writers have voted Beltran in, they have set a precedence that integrity doesn't matter. Honor can be lost and you can still be rewarded with a place in baseball history. Now let's just add Manny Ramirez, Jose Canseco and Alex Rodriguez to the inductee list! I don't care WHAT form of cheating it is. I don't care if you think it's not the same....it's still a disgrace to the game. One disgrace is not "less" than another. Greats belong in the Hall of Fame, not just great stats but also great stewards of the game itself and with good character.

So Beltran may be feeling himself right now. He may be standing tall but being in the hall doesn't erase history, and Beltran will always be known as the architect of a massive and blatant cheating scheme. He brought disgrace to the game and that should NOT be rewarded for that by getting a place amongst the true greats of this game. 

That's just my two cents. Agree with it or not, it doesn't matter to me. Integrity over anything else.....period.
The Hall of Fame is now tainted. It is DEAD. I will never look at it the same again.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

WHY DID THE YANKEES MAKE THIS MOVE?

In a move that left most of us blinking at our phones like we just read a typo, the New York Yankees used one of their open 40-man roster spots on Sunday to claim CJ Alexander off waivers from…the Oakland Athletics. Yes, those A's. Yes, CJ Alexander. Yes, we’re also Googling him.

This all started when the A’s needed to clear space for right-hander Michael Kelly, who was returning from MLB’s “You Gambled on What?!” list. Kelly had been exiled to the restricted list after a suspension for some small-time betting activity—think more parlay slips than Pete Rose. As Kelly returned, Alexander hit the waiver wire like a barely-used couch on the sidewalk—and the Yankees, apparently redecorating, scooped him up.

So, who is CJ Alexander? He's got a smooth lefty swing that occasionally shows signs of life in Triple-A. “Occasionally” being the operative word. The guy looks the part—tall, athletic, hits from the left side—but hasn’t exactly forced his way into the big leagues. He’s 27 and still trying to figure it out in the minors. But hey, he’s a third baseman and the Yankees love a good lottery ticket.

Maybe this was about depth. Maybe it’s about needing another bat for Scranton while waiting for the next minor-league savior to arrive. Maybe there’s a hidden analytical gem here. Or maybe… just maybe, the Yankees saw a guy the A’s didn’t want and thought, “Sure. Why not?”

But here’s the real question: Why did we do this?

Of all the options out there, of all the needs this roster has, this is the move that burns a 40-man spot?

We get it—depth matters. But this is like using your one phone call from jail to order takeout. Feels…misplaced.

The Yankees will now see if Alexander can channel that swing into something productive. Until then, he’s a name on a list and a bat in a RailRiders uniform. Maybe he clicks. Maybe he’s just a placeholder. Either way, CJ, welcome aboard. We’ll be over here wondering what just happened.

A.J. PIERZYNSKI SLAMS MLB OVER PETE ROSE HALL OF FAME ELIGIBILITY & IT'S HILARIOUS!

It's funny, because I never really imagined a moment that I would agree with A.J. Pierzynski on anything baseball related. I also thought of him as polarizing. He's been very vocal about a lot of issues in baseball and that is especially true about another polarizing name in the sport....Pete Rose.

There's been a lot of chatter about Rose recently. Now that he is reinstated for Hall of Fame consideration it's been a major topic at my dinner table and here at BYB, read PETE ROSE IS ELIGIBLE, BUT WILL THE WRITERS DO THE RIGHT THING? It's a polarizing topic. There are very strong opinions on both sides.

So, what's A.J's beef now? Well, he went on Foul Territory this week and didn't hold back at all. He believes Rose should NOT be reinstated. I know many people who are on both sides of the argument. His argument is that article 21 of MLB's Rule Book prohibits players and coaches from betting on baseball. If that was the argument he wanted to stick with I wouldn't be laughing as I am now. Check out the video clip below.

There's a real hole in this argument for me. As soon as he ran with the "You can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" is where it went sideways for me. Has he been living under a rock? Serious question because this sport has lost all of its innocence. The integrity went out the window a long time ago. Let's just go back to the steroid era, shall we? Is Barry Bonds so long ago that baseball got a "get out of jail free" pass and I missed the memo? I mean, he and Bonds were playing at the same time from 1998-2007 so it's not like it's ancient history. It happened, while AJ was getting his feet wet on the big league stage and it's a huge part of history. 

Let's fast forward to 2017. It's a topic I will NEVER let go of but the Houston Astros literally cheated their way to a World Series Championship. Trash can signals and buzzers are NOT part of the game, AJ. Integrity went out the window there. To make it worse, after Carlos Beltran is named one of the leaders of this cheating scandal the same time he is in consideration for a Manager role with the Mets? So you cheat, you work your way up to a manager gig. That's the message sent here. If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin? The Mets only "mutually agreed" to part ways with him after details came out which was a horrible message to send. They changed their mind to save their hide. I have despised the Mets more just for that alone. It was completely tone deaf.

And what about Alex Cora? The equally tone deaf Red Sox hired him for 2018 & 2019 knowing he was implicated in the cheating scandal, then took a brief step back to let the dust settle and let Ron Roenicke manage in 2020 and then reunite with Cora again in 2021 and ever since. What a minor slap on the wrist for a guy that was involved in the biggest cheating scandal in decades and then put him in charge of a different team. Integrity gone....

Oh and to make it more disturbing the General Manager of the Astros at that time Jeff Luhnow lost his job after the scandal. He's not back in the baseball world. In fact he is the CEO of Blue Crow Sports Group, which owns several soccer clubs, including Leganés in Spain and Cancún FC in Mexico. The guy with the least amount of involvement with the scandal not even around the team every day like Cora was and he pays the ultimate price. Integrity gone....

And last but certainly not least....you can't talk about gambling without talking about the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal that rocked baseball last year. It was alleged that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from the star to pay off massive gambling debts. Shohei denies placing any bets or paying off any bookies and it's funny how the money just disappeared without being detected, huh? Because are we supposed to be that nieve to believe the person who is in charge of Shohei's personal finances just didn't notice that massive amount of money just magically vanished into thin air? Apparently, because AJ himself came out in defense of Shohei saying there was no evidence to prove he was in fact gambling. So, it's okay for his money to be used on betting even if he didn't bet himself? Come on....if "you can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" why is this any different?

If Pete Rose can't be reinstated for betting on games when he was a manager, why is it okay for Ohtani to be accused of it as a player and have no consequences even though his money was used? If the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all then this is no exception and it's hypocritical. By the way, Ippei took the fall for this and in February was sentenced to 5 years in prison over it....but he's not actually sitting in prison yet. His sentence has been pushed back, read more HERE. 

So yeah, A.J and I agree that the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all. If the ban is good for Rose, it should've been good for Ohtani, too but you can't really ban the new face of baseball can you?He brings international draw. Unfortunately, the integrity of the game has been questioned many times, and will continue to be (especially under Rob Manfred's command). 

We agree on the sentiment, but AJ is oblivious to how un-innocent baseball really is. His argument is a swing and a miss. It did give me a good laugh though.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

PETE ROSE IS ELIGIBLE, BUT WILL THE WRITERS DO THE RIGHT THING?

The first ballplayer I ever saw live was Pete Rose. Lexington, Kentucky, mid-1970s. I was just a kid, but even then, I knew I was watching something special — the guy was a machine. Not a “launch angle” or “exit velocity” machine like today’s stat-sheet nerds. The dude was full-throttle, headfirst-sliding, never-met-a-fastball-he-didn’t-like hit machine. And he just kept going.

To me, that mattered more than anything else. Not the headlines. Not the scandals. Not the whispers and bans. Just a guy who played like the game owed him nothing, and he was going to outwork it anyway.

So, when people wring their hands over what Pete did off the field — the gambling, the ban, the puritanical pearl-clutching — I’ve always thought: Who cares? Not me. Play hard, play honest between the lines — that’s baseball. The rest is just noise.

But then, irony rears its roided-out head. You’ve got the steroid-era guys — Bonds, Clemens, McGwire — who, yes, juiced to hit harder, throw faster, recover quicker… you know, for the actual game. The part we judge them on for the Hall of Fame and the MLB let them play. In fact, they were in on it because baseball was dying after the 1994 strike and we needed baseball back, after all. But yet, the writers hold a moral ground, and they get iced out. The same moral guardians of the Hall let Harold Baines stroll in — a solid player, sure, but let’s not pretend he was a generational talent — while holding back titans of the sport because they broke the "unwritten rules."

Here's the kicker: MLB never even banned those steroid guys. But the BBWAA blackballed them anyway. The writers have taken it upon themselves to be the ethical gatekeepers of the game, when maybe they should just be the historians. Because whether we like it or not, history happened.

And now, we’ve got this strange, sad, cosmic joke. Rob Manfred, in his infinite PR-savvy wisdom, finally removes Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list — but only after Pete dies. Dead men, it turns out, no longer threaten the "integrity of the game."

"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred wrote. "Permanent ineligibility ends upon death." What a gesture. So meaningful. So… late.

Look, I’m grateful Pete is eligible now. That’s the right call. But it should’ve come while he could still appreciate it. The punishment was decades old. As far as I could see, he did his time. So, what did we get from Manfred? We got a delayed half-apology masquerading as a policy update.

Now it’s up to the writers. Again. They hold the pen, and the power, and maybe — just maybe — the conscience to finally do what’s right. Let Pete in. Let Shoeless Joe in. Both are eligible now. And while we're at it, let the steroid-era guys be considered on merit, not morality. They played the game. They broke records. They defined eras. That’s the job.

Stop pretending the Hall of Fame is a shrine to virtue. It’s not. It never was. It’s a museum of greatness — flawed, complicated, brilliant greatness. And no one embodied that better than Pete Rose.

So thanks, Pete. For playing your guts out. For being the first player I ever saw. For being the greatest I ever saw. They might’ve buried your legacy under bureaucracy and self-righteousness, but now, maybe, they’ll finally let it breathe.

Manfred got it technically right. But he missed the moment. The human moment. Again.

SPINELESS MANFRED MAY FINALLY DO WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE WHEN ROSE WAS ALIVE

Pete Rose was a baseball player unlike any other—a man whose grit, passion, and relentless work ethic turned him into the greatest hitter the game has ever seen. The numbers don’t lie: 4,256 hits, an MVP award, three batting titles, and three World Series championships. He was the heart and soul of the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine, a dynasty that dominated the 1970s. Rose played with an intensity that set him apart, diving headfirst into bases, refusing to take a play off, and inspiring a generation of baseball fans, myself included.

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and like so many others, I fell in love with Pete Rose and the way he played the game. He wasn't just another player; he was the embodiment of everything baseball was supposed to be—gritty, relentless, passionate. It wasn’t until I moved to New Jersey in 1978 and witnessed Ron Guidry’s 18-strikeout masterpiece that I found my team in the Yankees, but my admiration for Rose never wavered. He was still the player I idolized, the player who made me believe in baseball.

And yet, despite everything he gave to the game, despite all the records he shattered, Major League Baseball turned its back on him.

Let’s be clear—Pete Rose made mistakes. He gambled on baseball, a violation of one of the sport’s cardinal rules. But he never did anything to diminish his effort or his performance on the field. And for that, he was banished from the sport he helped define, denied the one honor he undoubtedly deserved—a place in the Hall of Fame.

For years, he sought redemption. He acknowledged his wrongdoing. He served his time. He waited for baseball to come to its senses. But Rob Manfred, the commissioner who has done more to damage Major League Baseball than any man before him, refused to reinstate Rose while he was alive. Manfred, in all his cowardice, dodged the responsibility, claiming he would “mull it over” but never actually doing a damn thing. It wasn’t until the President of the United States suggested pardoning Rose that articles even started to circulate about Manfred reconsidering. And now, Pete Rose is gone. Dead. Probably of a broken heart, after being cast aside by the very game he gave everything to.

And now, after years of ignoring Rose, Manfred is supposedly considering lifting his ban posthumously. What a gutless, empty gesture. It would have meant something if they had done it when he was alive, when he could have maybe one day stood on that stage in Cooperstown and received the honor he fought for his entire life. But now? Now it’s just another example of baseball’s spineless leadership under Manfred.  But here's the worst part of reinstating Rose. Even if he is reinstated by Manfred, the baseball writers, who let guys in like Harold Baines before they'd ever let in Alex Rodriguez would cockblock Rose for as long as they were alive.  In other words, while perhaps we are moving in the right direction, there are too many stop gaps to continue to prevent Rose to head to his natural destination... Cooperstown.  It's a wicked web and all those a-holes are in on it.

Look at the facts: Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader. He played harder than anyone before or after him. He made baseball better. And yet, there are idiots like Patrick Sauer of the Washington Post trying to rewrite history, suggesting that Ichiro Suzuki is the real hit king. No disrespect to Ichiro—his accomplishments in Japan and the MLB are remarkable—but Pete Rose’s record stands above all in the MAJOR LEAGUES. It’s 4,256. That’s the number. That’s the legacy. That’s what matters.

Was he a perfect man? No. But neither were countless other Hall of Famers. The Hall isn’t about moral perfection; it’s about baseball greatness. And Pete Rose was greatness incarnate.

MLB had a chance to do the right thing. They failed. And now, they’re trying to make up for it after the fact. Too little, too late. But for those of us who grew up watching him, who saw the passion, the determination, the sheer love of the game—Pete Rose will always be a Hall of Famer, no matter what some spineless commissioner says.

WHEN WILL THE HALL OF FAME WRITERS STOP THEIR MORAL JUDGEMENT?

Alex Rodriguez has shown significant growth since retiring from baseball, and his maturity was on full display as he extended heartfelt congratulations to this year’s Hall of Fame inductees this week. While his graciousness is admirable, it’s hard to ignore that he’s likely feeling some disappointment over not being considered for the Hall of Fame himself. After all, Rodriguez is undoubtedly one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. However, his connection to performance-enhancing drugs has cast a long shadow over his career, and it’s evident that sportswriters are reluctant to honor athletes tied to scandals or controversy.

Rodriguez’s career stats speak for themselves: three AL MVP awards, 696 home runs, 3,115 hits, 14 All-Star Game appearances, and a 2009 World Series championship with the Yankees. Yet, despite these achievements, he remains on the outside looking in, even as he appeared on the ballot for the fourth consecutive year. His predicament isn’t unique, as history shows that Hall of Fame voters consistently penalize players linked to performance-enhancing drugs or other ethical concerns.

Take Mark McGwire, for instance. Despite his record-breaking home run season and an illustrious career, McGwire has not been elected to the Hall of Fame due to his admitted steroid use. Similarly, Roger Clemens—who dominated as one of the best pitchers in MLB history—fell short of the 75% vote threshold in his final year of eligibility in 2022, earning just 65.2% of the vote. This trend reveals a clear pattern: past transgressions, whether proven or suspected, continue to hold players back from baseball’s highest honor. 

And it’s not just players from the steroid era who face scrutiny. Even Carlos Beltrán, whose involvement in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal tarnished his reputation, has found himself under the Hall of Fame microscope. Terry Collins, former Mets manager, recently spoke out about the situation, calling Beltrán’s treatment unfair. Collins pointed out that plenty of Hall of Famers likely benefited from knowing what pitches were coming, yet Beltrán seems to be bearing the brunt of the blame as one of the few players associated with the Astros scandal. Collins stated, “He wasn’t even a starting player, so it’s not like he gained much from what was happening.”

The broader question remains: when will this end? How long will Hall of Fame voters continue to blacklist players from the steroid era or those caught in controversial moments? At what point does the selective moral outrage stop? It’s worth questioning why certain players—such as Harold Baines, whose inclusion in the Hall sparked debate—are inducted while others with far more impressive resumes are excluded.  Think about it; even Jered Weaver tweaked this after Ichiro got in:

"1 writer said no on Ichiro?  another example of why Hall of Famers should vote on it and not writers"

He's not wrong. Why should these writers hold any power?

Barry Bonds, for example, is arguably the greatest hitter the sport has ever seen. Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and even Pete Rose—all legendary players in their own right—remain outside the Hall due to scandals or suspicions, despite their undeniable impact on the game. Isn’t it time for voters, many of whom have never played baseball at the professional level, to reconsider their stance?

The Hall of Fame is meant to honor the greatest players in the history of baseball, yet it feels increasingly like a battleground for moral judgment. If the goal is to preserve the integrity of the game, perhaps it’s time to reflect on whether this rigid gatekeeping is achieving that—or simply rewriting history.

HALL OF FAME PUTS OUT A MESSAGE HONORING PETE ROSE... REGRETS IT IMMEDIATELY

What world do we live in where the great hitter of all time, Pete Rose is banned from baseball and the Hall of Fame, dies, and then the Hall of Fame tweets out an honor of the man like he was a "regular" in baseball all these years?  Do they think we forgot that he was banned for life? Are they stupid? Do they think we're stupid?

Here's the best part, the true baseball fans out there... the ones that understand what Pete Rose accomplished on the field went ape on the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and they should have.

Career Stats. AVG .303. HR. 160. RBI. 1314. OPS .784. 17 time All-Star. All-time Hits leader.

Pete Rose did his time.  He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Stupid tweet by the HOF.  They need to do better.  

 

BLASTING PETE ROSE IN A BOOK REVIEW DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE'S THE HIT KING!

I have to say I was looking forward to Keith O'Brien's book about Pete Rose.  Titled "Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball", it is said to be one of the best reads on Pete Rose, the good and the bad.  

I have been a longtime fan of Pete Rose. He was the guy who helped get me obsessed with baseball as a kid. Growing up in Kentucky I would often venture with my family to King's Island in Ohio, and it was the height of the Big Red Machine.  Reds' shirts were everywhere in the theme park because it was Reds country.  You couldn't escape it and I remember when I saw Rose play and hit and as a little boy there was nothing more incredible. A dude playing the game harder than anyone I'd ever seen.  It was quite a thing.

And so fast forward to one of the most ridiculous book reviews I have ever seen from Patrick Sauer of the Washington Post who found it fitting to insert his own personal view of Pete Rose into his review like he actually has the clout to bring his tainted opinions of Rose to the table.  In essence, I do not care.  

You see, when you talk about Pete Rose, you talk about hitting. That's when it comes to the discussion of baseball ability. Sure, he gambled and he's admitted it and womanized and hung out with odd folks at times, but it's the hitting that will always stick with me.  In 1985 he broke Ty Cobb's hit record and he'd go on to have 4,256.  An incredible feat.  And for me, that's what stands out most.  For some odd reason, or maybe he's just a foolish ego-maniac, Sauer thought it fitting to demolish Pete Rose as "as colossal jerk" and "I was 9, and I was right." Like... who cares.

Here's the thing; Pete Rose had many flaws, but who doesn't.  Ty Cobb was a racist son of a bitch, but he's in the hall of fame.  And I think about this ridiculous review and think to myself, if Rose didn't bet on baseball is Sauer still talking about how Pete was a Son of Bitch and adding his own personal opinions of the guy or is he passing on writing the review.  My point is saying every negative thing you want to say about Pete Rose, but in the end, he still is the all-time hit leader.  Meanwhile Rose must have kicked Sauer's dog or something because he's angry and almost obsessed with trying to publicly dismantle Rose. 

"Outside of a true devotion to the craft of hitting, there is arguably nothing admirable about the adult Pete Rose, and I barely knew the half of it before reading “Charlie Hustle.” (Even Rose’s nickname was derisive. New York Yankees legends Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle tagged him with it for trying so hard during a meaningless spring training game.)"

Sauer literally dresses down Pete for playing ball too hard and tags a few baseball heroes in there to make it seem more legit. By the way, Mickey Mantle was an incredible player, he was also a drunk and womanizer, but I guess Sauer can let that pass.  Again, this might be the worst book reviews I've ever read.  Sauer's personal antidotes offer nothing but an ego trip for the length of the article.

"One moment late in Rose’s career suggests that even his fiery love of the game had some fraudulence in it. O’Brien cites multiple people who say that Rose, while playing with the Montreal Expos, used corked bats. One of the people is a clubhouse manager (and carpenter by trade) who did the illicit woodworking on Rose’s lumber. It calls into question the legitimacy of the end-stage hits that Rose needed to surpass Cobb. I would now wholeheartedly argue that Ichiro Suzuki’s hits as a professional in Japan should count and that his combined total of 4,367 makes him the true Hit King, the one to uncomplicatedly celebrate when he’s elected into Cooperstown next year."

And the worst part of this article/review, whatever it is, is the constant pounding and this quest for influence like his opinions matter.  No Patrick, Ichiro, while incredible, is not the true Hit King, but there needs to be some kind of accolade for him. Pete is the all-time hits leader and its Major League baseball.  Ichiro's numbers are combined and last time I checked, Japan's league is not the MLB. Stop your forcing of rules to make your argument, you're bad at it. Ichiro had 3,089 in the MLB. That's just the way it is.  It's not that we don't want to count all of Ichiro's hits, but you are so big about following rules and having Pete Rose have integrity and how he needs to stay out of the Hall of Fame, but you're perfectly fine bending the rules to put Ichiro in as the All-Time hit leader and yet he didn't achieve it in the MLB? You're literally an idiot.

I like reading books to form my own views of the person being written about. I have to say, in all of my years of journalism, I have never quite read a more foolish article/review than the one that Patrick Sauer has written for  "Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball". And here's the worst part; he did O'Brien and injustice. I may never read it because Sauer tainted it with dumb opinions and ego. No one cares that you thought that Pete Rose was a jerk at 9.  I met Rose twice and both times he was fantastic.  And you know what? No one cares about that either.  Rose was a degenerate, a womanizer and got himself in a ton of trouble.  But he's also the all-time hits leader and yet Patrick Sauer cannot admit or praise the one single part that makes up Pete Rose on the baseball field.  

Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.  He's not a man of character. He's had bad judgement in his life. But at the end of the day, he's a Hall of Famer because of 4,256. That's it.  

Sauer can kick rocks.  

CLOWN CORA ADMITS BEING A CHEATER

 I hate liars.

Years after the 2017 season, Alex Cora admits to having involvement in the Asstros cheating scandal.  The fact that this guy still has a job in baseball is just a testament to how horrible loser Rob Manfred truly is.  Between this, the phantom second base runner and the pizza box bases, why doesn't he just put juggling clowns in the infield as obstacles too. He's a disgrace, and the fact that the MLB made a deal with Astros owner Jim Crane to not punish the entire Astros team severely will be the biggest black eye on the MLB... even worse than the Black Sox scandal... even worse than Pete Rose betting on baseball. 

But back to that loser Alex Cora. NJ.com writes:

"Evan Drellich’s book, “Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess,” was released on Tuesday.

It goes into detail about the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. In 2017, they illegally used electronic equipment on their way to winning the World Series. The Astros bench coach was Alex Cora, now the manager of the Boston Red Sox. The Boston Globe reports Cora was asked about the book Tuesday as the Red Sox opened spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

“We’ve got to talk about it,” Cora said. “I don’t want to say they are used to it, you know, but I’ve been open with them about the whole situation and they understand that stuff like this is going to come out. We’ve just got to keep going forward. I made a big mistake in ‘17.”

I made a big mistake in '17.  But that's ok Alex... you get to still manage a top Major League club... cause Uncle Manfred will take care of it.

Pathetic.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S BETTING SCHEME JUST PROVES PETE ROSE HAS DONE HIS TIME

 

Back in August of 1989, Pete Rose accepted a permanent ban from baseball. This happened because in the baseball rules and here it is on the MLB website for the world to see, Rule 21:

"(d) GAMBLING. (1) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year. 

(2) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible. 

(3) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted."

Following Rose's ban, the Baseball Hall of Fame decided that in 1991 they would bar players on the permanently ineligible list, like Rose, from induction.

In other words, the all-time hits leader, Peter Rose, would never be in baseball again even though he had lifetime 4256 hits. 

Betting on baseball is wrong if you're a player, and Pete Rose was signing baseballs years after even admitting to betting on baseball on autographed balls.  The fact of the matter is MLB really ran this guy through the ringer, humiliated him, disgraced him, made him feel like he did something so bad, he should never be allowed to be part of the game at all, ever, ever, ever again.

In 2017, the Phillies disassociated themselves from Pete Rose too, but not for betting, but instead being part of the cancel culture. As it goes:

"...the Phillies announced that they were completely disassociating from Pete Rose....This decision isn't about Rose being honorable enough to bow out of the weekend because he's concerned for the fans' best interest. What this is about, or rather, what it should be about, is a sports franchise saying unambiguously that sexual assault and rape in all forms is unacceptable."

This was right about the time where the #MeToo movement was a real rage and if a guy looked at a woman the wrong way, in 2017, or in 1977, it was a way to get men cancelled. Now obviously violence against women is terrible and should never happen, but the pile on against men was bad. We were being cancelled just for living, and Pete Rose was already banned from baseball, so the Phillies thought, "F this guy, and remove him from the Phillies Wall of Fame too."

So, with the world piling up against Pete Rose since 1989, it just made sense that Rose probably needed to go away. I hated every minute of that.

Then in 2022, something happened. 

This year the Phillies suddenly invited Rose back to the ballpark. We wrote here on Bleeding Yankee Blue back in July:

"The New York Post writes that Pete Rose will be welcomed by the City of Brotherly Love... Philly. And you know what? I love it.

"The sport’s all-time hits leader will be at the Phillies’ alumni weekend and be introduced on the field along with his former teammates from the 1980 World Series championship team on Aug. 7. That team’s shortstop, Larry Bowa, broke the news on Saturday night during the Phillies’ TV broadcast of their game against the Cubs.

The Phillies said in a statement that they “received permission from the commissioner’s office” to invite Rose, and the team consulted with Rose’s teammates from the 1980 club and “everyone” wants him there.”

And my thinking was, "Could it be that things were looking up for Pete Rose finally?" Well, at least the Phillies teammates that played with Rose understood how important Rose was to the game. The Phillies did too, but why did they cancel him in 2017 only to bring him back in 2022? MLB acted like no one was paying attention... and they're doing it again.

Things come full circle. It was announced the Reds, Pete Rose's old team has a new partner... IN SPORTS BETTING.

Sports Pro Media writes: 

"Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Cincinnati Reds are set to open a new sportsbook at their Great American Ball Park home through a new partnership with BetMGM.

The agreement, which designates the firm as the Reds’ official sports betting partner, comes with the legalization of gambling in Ohio from January 2023.

The new BetMGM Sportsbook will be situated on the northeast side of the ballpark and will allow fans to place wagers during games.

The deal marks the betting brand’s second MLB venue sportsbook, after a deal with the Washington Nationals saw an in-person location created at Nationals Park in January."

Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here? 

Can someone explain to me how MLB has rules in place about sports betting for players, but can still have partnerships with sports books to allow betting IN THEIR OWN STADIUMS?

Meanwhile Pete Rose, the MLB's ALL TIME HITS LEADER is still on the outside looking in while MLB continues to do whatever the hell it wants.

I have never liked what Rob Manfred has done to the game. He has his own rules, his cronies clearly have no idea what they're doing, and in the end, it really does come down to making the MLB money and to hell with anyone else.

Pete Rose did his time. You can't eliminate the all-time hits leader from baseball all these years. Something needs to change.  In a world where sports writers are still trying to claim that "the Steroid Era" brought all-time home run leaders legitimately to the stat books, even though we know "the Steroid Era" is considered a stain on the game (or it wouldn't be called "the Steroid era", We cannot stand blindly and think that the MLB's partnership with sports betting should be allowed, but the time Rose has done since 1989 should not be considered time served. 

Pete Rose not only needs to come back to baseball.  Pete Rose needs to be in the Hall of Fame.  

FOX Sports has done the greatest job bringing Pete's expertise and personality back to baseball. It's a huge move that I just hope can change how people view this guy.  Yes, he made a mistake, he admits that. He's done more at admitting fault and has done more time than anyone in the steroid era has ever done. We're still waiting for those guys to admit guilt. It's ridiculous.

Manfred needs to be pressed on this. We need a hardnosed reporter that can ask the hard questions and really get him to answer. Because right now, this seems like a giant F-U to students of the game, and especially Pete Rose.

Fire Manfred. He's absolute garbage.

THE PHILLIES ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING

The Hit King is back.  At least in Philadelphia.

Pete Rose is no doubt one of the best players to ever play the game. Gritty and determined he was the first player I saw growing up in Kentucky for a short time and thought, who is this guy on the Reds? He was so awesome. It was there that I fell in love with baseball. Soon after when I moved to New Jersey it would be Ron Guidry who would catch my eye and from that point on I was a Yankee fan. But Pete Rose will always be in my top 5 all time... no question.

The New York Post writes that Pete Rose will be welcomed by the City of Brotherly Love... Philly. And you know what? I love it.

"The sport’s all-time hits leader will be at the Phillies’ alumni weekend and be introduced on the field along with his former teammates from the 1980 World Series championship team on Aug. 7. That team’s shortstop, Larry Bowa, broke the news on Saturday night during the Phillies’ TV broadcast of their game against the Cubs.

The Phillies said in a statement that they “received permission from the commissioner’s office” to invite Rose, and the team consulted with Rose’s teammates from the 1980 club and “everyone” wants him there.”

Now I kind of wish the Phils went rogue and just invited Rose without checking with our dopey commissioner, but this is still a move in the right direction.  If Manfred wants to redeem himself as not being the worst commissioner we've ever had, he should watch the reception in Philadelphia and gauge the fact that Rose has done his time with his betting scandal.  He needs to come back to baseball... and needs to be in the Hall of Fame too.

Kudos to the Phillies. This is awesome.  I may actually try and get tickets to this one.