Absolutely not. I agree with several previous writers. Rose has his record, and it will never be taken away from him. Even if somebody eventually gets one more hit than he has, he will still be remembered as one of the games' greatest.

The rule still stands though. Ever since the "Black Sox" it has been abundantly clear. Do not bet on baseball. Rose not only bet, he bet on his team. While other infractions (drugs, doping, etc,) may screw up your life, what gambling does is screw up the integrity of the game. He was caught and was banned for life. He plead innocent and lied about the whole sordid mess for 14 years. Then some schmuck told him all he had to do was get all weepy eyed and confess and his invitation to Cooperstown would be in the mail. Wrong. Have you heard or read what Hank Aaron said about him? He cheapened the game for the players, the fans, and everyone associated with the game. Yes, he was my favorite player when I was a young boy. But if the rules are changed for one corrupt, lying egomaniac how will baseball ever enforce the ban on future gamblers, those who might bet while playing. For the integrity of the game (which is seriously in jeapordy for other reasons) Rose has to be kept out.

Freightdawg