For Pete Rose you could probably fill a few books on the accolades of his playing career. He had 4,256 hits, made 17 All-Star teams,1963 NL Rookie of the Year,1973 NL MVP. There are many more achievements on the field that we could go on all day about. But that’s not why he’s not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He’s not in because he knowingly bet on baseball. But he also added to his problems by not coming clean sooner. But he’s made the necessary strides to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame based on the way he has conducted himself in the past seven years since his admission. Here’s an example of the way he has conducted himself in this interview. “What was it like apologizing to Bench? It was emotional. Johnny has the ability to say things that make you feel good. But he also tells you what he thinks of what you did at the same time. He said I appreciate your phone call even though it was late, real late. I’d taken away from him when he’d been elected to the Hall of Fame and I was under investigation ( for gambling on baseball). Of everybody he has the right to be the maddest. I apologized because I know that.” (Erardi) That’s what Pete Rose has become, a remorseful man trying to make up for the transgressions that he never apologized for before. He never would’ve done that before 2004. Here is another interview done in the past year with Pete Rose. “ I understand what it takes to get into the Hall of Fame. I also understand how I screwed it up.”(Rose takes responsibility) I don’t know if he is doing this to make up for lost time or to really try to get into the Hall of Fame. But in the years prior he wouldn’t have said that he made a mistake or saying he understands what it takes to get into the Hall of Fame. Because he made it seem like he was already in.

In 2004 after 15 years of denying betting on baseball, Pete Rose came clean. In the 7 years since then Pete Rose has taken the necessary strides to get in baseball’s Hall of Fame. He has even apologized to many former teammates, most notably Johnny Bench. He’s be 70 and he has done all he can now and Pete Rose deserves to be in baseball’s Hall of Fame.