Dem
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GOP
53
Most readers, even if they are not sports fans, are probably familiar with the broad outlines of Shoeless Joe Jackson's story (especially if they've seen Field of Dreams). In short, he was, on the merits, a nearly surefire Hall of Fame baseball player (62.6 bWAR, despite only playing to age 32, for those readers for whom that means something). However, he was also a member of the infamous Black Sox, who threw the 1919 World Series. Though there is spirited debate, the general consensus is that Jackson: (1) knew about the fix, but (2) was not an active participant, and at least TRIED to blow the whistle. Still, the scandal nearly destroyed Major League Baseball, and anyone even remotely connected to the scheme ended up banned for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
In the past 105 years and counting, there have been numerous efforts to clear Jackson's name, and to get his eligibility for the Hall of Fame restored. In particular, every time there is a new Commissioner of Baseball, a renewed petition is made, in the hopes that this commissioner is the one who will take mercy. And so, when Rob Manfred got the job a decade ago, he was promptly asked to consider reinstating Jackson and all other banned-for-life figures. And his answer, back in 2015, was an unequivocal "no." He explained: "[I]t is not possible now, over 95 years since those events took place and were considered by Commissioner Landis, to be certain enough of the truth to overrule Commissioner Landis' determinations."
This week, however, Manfred radically changed his tune, announcing that ALL deceased individuals on the permanently banned list (mostly players, but a few executives, too) are now un-banned. He explained:
Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual...
That's a rather different take from the one Manfred offered up 10 years ago.
So, why the change? Well, one possibility is that with age comes wisdom, and over the years, Manfred has seen things in a new light. Certainly, people are entitled to change their minds. However, as simple as it may be, this is not the Occam's Razor explanation. No, the much simpler explanation is this: Manfred's decision, in addition to removing Jackson from the permanently banned list, also removes Pete Rose. And in the last month or so, Donald Trump has taken up Rose's cause, promising him a full pardon for the crimes he committed, and demanding that Rose be admitted into the Hall of Fame.
It is not the slightest bit surprising that Trump feels an affinity for Rose. To wit:
They're two peas in a pod. Well, maybe, two thieves in a pod. (Although one difference between them is that Rose was brought down by lawyer John Dowd, while Trump employed Dowd as his lead counselor during the Russia investigation.)
Here, by the way, is Trump's announcement that he planned to pardon Rose:
Major League Baseball didn't have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as "Charlie Hustle," into the Baseball Hall of fame. Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME! Anyway, over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete PARDON of Pete Rose, who shouldn't have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history. Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy ass, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!
We are compelled to ask the same question we asked just yesterday: Is Trump stupid/ignorant, or is he just dishonest? During the time he placed the bets, Rose was player-manager of the Reds. One thing that might affect his strategy is whether he placed a bet to win or lose. But another thing that might affect his strategy is whether he placed a bet at all. In games where Rose had money riding on the outcome, he might, say, overuse star pitcher José Rijo. In games where there was no bet, he might not use Rijo at all, preferring to keep him fresh for the next "bet" game. And these are not hypotheticals; the Dowd report said that Rose did both of these things with Rijo. When we asked the question of Trump yesterday, we said it was 50/50 between stupid/ignorant and dishonest. The fact that he apparently thinks the past tense of "bet" is "betted" does give us at least a little bit of a leaning today.
Anyhow, it is not surprising that Manfred folded like a cheap suit. Part of the dynamic here is that the Commissioner is also MAGA, albeit not outspokenly so, and thus is willing to do Trump's bidding. A much, much bigger part of the dynamic, however, is this: Baseball's business model relies on the antitrust exemption it was granted over a century ago, which allows it to control the minor leagues, to dictate the terms by which teams can negotiate TV contracts, and to discriminate against potential owners it does not like. The sport also relies on foreign players, most of them brown, and most of them from sh**hole Latin American countries, particularly the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. If MLB were to end up on Trump's (or Steven Miller's) bad side, it could be disastrous.
And that brings us to the lesson this story suggests to us. Trump is clearly willing to muck around in just about anything, whether it's an appropriate (and legal) use of his powers, or not. The delineating factor is not how consequential his targets are (or aren't), it's whether or not he has leverage over them. That would certainly explain why he goes after, for example, universities that have federal research grants, but leaves, say, the ACLU unscathed (so far).
We also suspect there's another lesson on the horizon. Manfred can decide who is, and who is not, on the permanently banned list. However, he does not control entry into the Hall of Fame, which is an independent entity (although the Commissioner undoubtedly has SOME soft power). If normal order is followed, then Rose wouldn't even be considered for inclusion until 2027, and he probably wouldn't make the cut even then. However, Trump is not likely to be satisfied until Rose actually has a plaque hanging in the Hall. So, don't be too surprised to see some arm-twisting that gets Rose admitted, very possibly on a much faster timeline. In that case, Manfred will have learned what so many others before him have: Give Trump an inch, and he'll demand a mile. (Z)