Fairness in sport again attracts the national news spotlight as an old scandal that involved Cincinnati’s star third baseman, Pete Rose, re-erupted.

One of the boldest, most durable, and naturally gifted players in the history of baseball, Rose was named Rookie of the Year in 1963 and named the National League’s Most Valuable Player 10 years later. The switch-hitter was three-times a World Series champion.

Famous for spectacular diving catches, sometimes into the stands, it wasn’t for nothing that the third baseman acquired the nickname “Charlie Hustle.” Rose was often hailed for his grit. In 1989, though, fame had begun to turn into notoriety.

Of course, the game’s integrity rests on the belief that games are won or lost on merit, skill, and athleticism honed diligently over a lifetime. Luck assures that no outcome is certain. Chance lures fans to wager. But the rule book forbids players and coaches from gambling, on pain of permanent ineligibility.

In 1989, rumors surfaced that Rose had routinely bet heavily on on games he played in and those he managed. The league launched an investigation. After an investigative report that ran to more than 200 pages appended with seven volumes of evidence implicated Rose in illegal activity, in accordance with the rules, the Commissioner banned him from baseball.

In 2004, after many years of denial, Rose confessed to the substance of the charges. It stretches credulity to believe that Rose did not profit from betting against his own team. The principal author of the confidential report to the Commissioner, “In the Matter of: Peter Edward Rose, Manager, Cincinnati Reds Baseball Club,” attorney John N. Dowd summarized the gravity of the findings.........

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