Usually I start and I am not sure what I am going to say today I know what I am going to say and I even had a title before I sat down. Now you are thinking why? There are two things that really annoy me with the world. People don't care who gets hurt for the sake of the sport and people have a very short memory for some things that should not be forgotten. Same goes for politics. People forget or don't care. Some might argue that was in the past. But most people don't truly change so if we were to forgive and forget how come people that have been convicted of a crime have to divulge that information on most job application. But not when you want to play a professional sport or run for office. If you want to find out the bad thing someone did they leave that up to the other people running for office to run their slander campaign. Which most of us were probably taught if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all. Yet in the next few months me being a resident of Florida will be bombarded with ads on the television and the radio and even the news will take their political agenda on the road and on the air.
As the football season ends it makes me think of players that have been convicted of some major crimes but for the sake of the game they continue to play. I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I employ a person who has killed animals for the sake of betting or let them be killed in his yard. I can not condone the behavior of athletes that beat their wives and girlfriends. The NFL has their month they dedicate to domestic abuse and that may make some feel better and be able to sleep at night but I wonder if the wife of the player using steroids to improve his playing realizes that that is also contributing to his abusive behavior.
So we are currently a 9 months away from the next Presidential election and we already have more than 20 people that have thrown their hat in the ring so to speak. And of course some have already dropped out. I cannot watch the debates with the likes of Donald Trump spewing out of his mouth the things that he does. It used to be that a debate had rules and protocol but then again so did the dinner table and most of those have been thrown out the window as well.
Here comes Spring Training and where I work I will have to leave early for the next few weeks so that people from places up north can come to Florida and watch the pro players get ready for the regular season. Now I am not a baseball fan but I will take a Spring Training game any day over a regular season game. There is that atmosphere of the smaller stadium and outside in the Florida sun with the cool breeze of what we call winter on your face.
Funny that tying sports and politics together does not seem to be much of a reach. There is a hierarchy among both sports teams and leagues as well as state and national governments. Since the rules are now getting thrown out during debates will we soon have no rules for baseball. Will it no longer be considered wrong to bet on the game you play or the team you play for. Really what difference does it make if you are buying your way into the White House or a baseball player just trying to make a better life for himself. Same difference.
So in 1989 when Pete Rose was getting thrown out of baseball, Ronald Reagan was still a President in the White House with all of his charm, wit and integrity. There was still a standard to be upheld. He himself had played sports. He was a man that people respected. I cannot name one person running for the office of President right now that I respect.
Now in the early 1990's Pete Rose paid for his crimes that he was convicted of and released. This is really when the problem begins for Pete. He tries to get back to life but the only life he ever knew was baseball and he is standing outside the fence watching the game and can't get back in ever. Now unfortunately he did probably know there were rules and he probably thought he wouldn't get caught but he did. He now signs autographs for die hard Cincinnati fans but he knows how different his life would have been if he would not have ever bet on baseball. But what is done is done and he has truly been paying for his crime for 25 years. Was Pete Rose a great player? Yes. Did he beat records that will never be beat, probably. Did he break the rules? Yes. Has he paid for his crimes? I say yes. Do you think that letting him in now is still not going to be difficult. People will still ridicule him for decisions he made 25 years ago. But today in the political arena we don't hold politicians responsible for the things they said yesterday. Do politicians receive votes and money illegally? Yes. But they have lawyers and speech writers that will spin the truth into a pretty sweater with your initials on it and you still vote for them. So I say why not Pete Rose. He has admitted what he did was wrong. I don't think he is going to bet on China vs US and since we teach kids to forgive and forget isn't it time we acknowledge what he did well and leave the rest of the small print for people 100 years from now to read about online while they read about the first woman president who has already had her way in the White House or have people already forgotten that people thought she was running the country anyway?
