Frank, Rose's stats have not been erased, and his contributions are on display in the Hall of Fame. The only problem is, he won't get a plaque. His statistics won't get an * like Roger Maris had for so many years. The results of his playing days will remain in the record books.

I guess all of us like to be recongized for the work we do, and for a ballplayer the Hall of Fame is the ultimate recognition. However, the work that Rose put in to build his career can't be erased by the lack of a plaque. It is unfortunate that his arrogant disregard for the rules and problems with gambling led him to this point.

I personally think the rules they have created are fair in terms of gambling. If you look at the history of baseball, the 1919 White Sox scandal brought the issue to a head. Owners had treated the playes like dirt, giving them low salaries and poor working conditions. Sure there were stars, but even they had issues. Gambling was a way for the underpaid ballplayer to make a few bucks. It was relatively easy for gamblers to get access to the players which resulted in the World Series getting thrown. That wasn't a rumor, it happened. The owners then created the office of the commissioner and gave the commish extraordiary powers to clean up the game. It took 70 years for the owners to get their power back and create a puppet office for the commissioner.

You are right Frank, MLB should not be considered "clean". The owners have been the ones that have ruined this game. They worry more about their ledgers and less about their fans. You can't take a family to a ballgame without laying out money that could be used for a weeks vacation in some places. The series games are played late in the evening to please television, and the young fans get shut out. The fans are shut out at the ballpark during the World Series when 80% of the tickets are given to the league and network sponsors.   The players are no better. I think in the case of baseball we have two evils that deserve each other.

Sorry for all the thread drift, but the simple question that started this thread has a great deal of subtext underneath.