Fay Vincent harshly digs in on his Pete Rose Hall of Fame stance after MLB legends death

Fay Vincent’s view on Pete Rose hasn’t changed, even after learning the news that MLB’s hit king died Monday at the age of 83. Vincent, 86, had been deputy commissioner and played a large role in negotiating the settlement with Rose when the baseball legend voluntarily accepted a lifetime ban for betting on baseball while he was managing the Reds. The controversy overshadowed the incredible career Rose had on the field, and Vincent seemed to stand firm on his viewpoint of the baseball great. “I think he was devoted to baseball in the sense of the game, and his effort was certainly intense.He had a series of problems relating to his standards for conduct,” Vincent said in an interview with The Athletic.

“He made some mistakes as he came along, and by the time I got to know him and Bart and I dealt with him in the betting issue, it was really too late.I mean, he had formed his attitude and his character and I’m afraid that he really thought that money was so important and he was betting a lot and he lost a lot and I think the corruption problem in his life was a serious one.”Vincent, who eventually served as commissioner from 1989-92, learned of Rose’s death when a reporter from The Athletic contacted him on Monday. Rose’s accomplishments on the field are undeniable, retiring from playing as MLB’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), singles (3,215), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and plate appearances (15,890). He won three World Series titles, three batting titles and two Gold Gloves.But the accomplishments don’t seem to be enough to dissuade Vincent from the opinion that Rose shouldn’t be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Vincent acknowledged that his passing on Monday may make the case for him to be inducted into Cooperstown easier, but even with sports gambling so widely accepted and popular, the former MLB exec didn’t seem too keen on letting Rose in. “Do I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame? I don’t think anybody who ...