Pete Rose: 'I Bet on My Team Every Night'

When Pete Rose was booked for ESPN Radio with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, I'm guessing the producers were simply hoping for a few entertaining quotes about his new exhibit in the Reds Hall of Fame. Instead, he dropped this bombshell:

"I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I was wrong," Rose said.

Rose said that he believed in his team so much that he bet on them to win every night.

"I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team," Rose said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."

Rose finally admitted in his autobiography released in 2004 that he bet on baseball, but this is the first time he's explicitly revealed that the Dowd Report was correct and that he did in fact place wagers on the Reds while he was managing the team.

Does Rose think finally coming clean will get him into the Hall of Fame? Maybe it will sway some voters, but unlike a lot of sports, he's not supposed to be judged solely for what happened on the field. Rule #5 of the Rules for Election to the Hall of Fame states:

Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

That's a tough standard to live up to, especially for a guy who's spent the better part of the last two decades lying about his actions. It seems every couple of years he reveals a little bit more about what he did wrong -- who's to say that it won't someday come out that he placed wagers while he was still playing?

Rose added that he's no longer concerned about making the Hall of Fame, but that he just wants to be reinstated so that he can manage again. Maybe it could happen in Cincinnati, but I can't think of a tougher sell management would have to make to a team's fans elsewhere around the majors. Do you think Bud Selig should reinstate Rose? Make your case in the comments.