Tony Kornheiser doesn't expect Pete Rose to make Baseball Hall of Fame
Share and Follow

The lifelong prohibition on Pete Rose imposed by Major League Baseball was lifted on Tuesday. However, Tony Kornheiser, host of “Pardon The Interruption,” is skeptical that this decision paves the way for Rose’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the near future.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the stunning decision in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose’s removal from the list Jan. 8, and pointed out that Hall of Fame voting was not something he had a hand in. 

And Kornheiser, a longtime sportswriter and columnist, expected the baseball writers not to allow Rose, who died in September at the age of 83, into Cooperstown — nor “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who also had his ban lifted Tuesday. 


Reds great Pete Rose will finally have a chance to reach the Hall of Fame.
Reds great Pete Rose will finally have a chance to reach the Hall of Fame. Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Rob Manfred does not put you in the Hall of Fame. The baseball writers, who are members, put you in the Hall of Fame,” Kornheiser said during Tuesday’s show on ESPN. “Those baseball writers, as we know well, are guardians of the game. They take violations very seriously. Joe Jackson fixed games. Pete Rose bet on games as a manager of one team. That doesn’t go away. 

“You know who else is eligible for the Hall of Fame right now? Barry Bonds is eligible, Mark McGwire is eligible, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, they’re eligible. Are they getting in anytime soon? Doesn’t look that way from the voting.”

Rose agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 after an MLB investigation found he had bet on baseball as the manager of the Reds. 

Jackson was entangled in the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal, in which he and his Chicago White Sox teammates fixed the World Series.


Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on PTI.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on PTI. Awful Announcing/X

The earliest that Rose or Jackson, who passed in 1951, could be enshrined in Cooperstown would be 2028, if they are elected by the baseball writers. 

“I would put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame,” Kornheiser continued. “I would put his sins on the plaque and his accomplishments on the plaque. I agree that when your life is gone, it’s OK to be eligible for something. But I do not see Pete Rose as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I just don’t. I don’t think it’s going to happen because of the writers.” 

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Video: Rare 'apex predator' orcas spotted off Hawaii coast

Video: Uncommon Orcas, Top Ocean Predators, Seen Near Hawaii Shore

WAIKIKI (KHON) — A rare encounter was caught on camera off the…
900 DOJ attorneys urge Senate to reject Bove nomination

900 Department of Justice Lawyers Advocate Against Senate Approval of Bove’s Nomination

More than 900 former Justice Department attorneys are urging the Senate Judiciary…
'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson banned from driving for six months after speeding in UK

‘Emma Watson, ‘Harry Potter’ Star, Faces Six-Month Driving Ban in the UK for Speeding’

Former “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson has been banned from driving for…
KGB files on JFK to be released this fall: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna

Representative Anna Paulina Luna Announces Upcoming Release of KGB Files on JFK This Fall

() Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said Wednesday that previously hidden KGB…
Family determined to find missing girl 9 years later

Family Resolute in Search for Girl Missing for 9 Years

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – July 15 marks nine years since the disappearance of…
Country star Darius Rucker unexpectedly ends concert mid-set

Darius Rucker Abruptly Halts Country Concert Performance Mid-Set

Darius Rucker abruptly ended his concert mid-set over the past weekend in…
Democrat congressman Suhas Subramanyam dragged for ‘weird’ TikTok ‘aura farming’ trend video

Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam Criticized for Unusual TikTok ‘Aura Farming’ Trend Video

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia, participated in TikTok’s “aura farming”…
'Flesh-eating' bacteria death reported in St. Augustine. Here's what to know

‘Alarming Death from ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria in St. Augustine: Essential Information You Need to Know’

As of July 11, two cases of the bacteria have been reported…