The New York Times were the first to report earlier today that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has announced he will not lift the lifetime ban on former Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose. The greatest hitter in baseball history was banned for life by former Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989 for betting on baseball. Rose vehemently denied it until he finally came clean in his autobiography My Prison Without Bars in 2004.

Pete Rose asked for an appeal last April and Manfred met with Rose in September, and according to Manfred informed him of the decision then. Rob Manfred allegedly said he wouldn’t lift the ban because Rose continues to bet on baseball. Manfred released a statement saying, “Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989. Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport."

The Dowd Report that Manfred refers to in that statement was written by John M. Dowd, the special counsel to the commissioner, and given to then commissioner Bart Giamatti that gave documented information that described Rose's betting on the game of baseball. The Rule 21 that Manfred also refers to is talking about throwing and betting on the game of baseball and that those who work in the game of baseball can't partake in those activities. ESPN did publish a report in June of this year with new revelations that Rose bet on baseball not only as a manager but also as a player. 

Manfred denying Rose of reinstatement does not, however, deal with Rose and the Hall of Fame. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum banned Rose from election to the hall after the decision from Giamatti came down in 1989. In regards to that Manfred said, “It is not part of my authority of responsibility here to make any determination concerning Mr. Rose's eligibility as a candidate for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In fact, in my view, the considerations that should drive a decision on whether an individual should be allowed to work in Baseball are not the same as those that should drive a decision on Hall of Fame eligibility. … Thus, any debate over Mr. Rose's eligibility for the Hall of Fame is one that must take place in a different forum."

Manfred also said that Rose changed his story and admitted to currently bet on baseball. “He made assertions concerning his betting habits that were directly contradicted by documentary evidence. … And, significantly, he told me that currently he bets recreationally and legally on horses and sports, including baseball. Even more troubling, in our interview, Rose initially denied betting on baseball currently and only later in the interview did he 'clarify' his response to admit such betting.”

C. Trent Rosecrans, a reporter covering the Reds for the Cincinnati Inquirer, tweeted a photo of a statement from Rose’s lawyers saying that they are upset with the ruling and they say, “Pete’s fall from grace is without parallel but he recognizes that it was also of his own making. As such, Pete seeks to be judged not just by the mistakes of his past but also by the work he has done over the last three decades to take responsibility for his actions.”

For his career, Pete Rose was arguably the greatest hitter of all time. Rose compiled 4,256 hits for most all-time, just ahead of Ty Cobb who accumulated 4,189 hits. It also doesn’t seem like somebody will catch him for quite a while as the next active player on the list is 39-year-old New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez who has 3,070 and is 21st on the all time list. The first current player that has a chance on the list is 32-year-old Miguel Cabrera who, if he stays healthy and keeps hitting the ball as well as he has, could come within reach. Cabrera is 141st on the all-time list with 2,331 hits.