Pete Rose Deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame!

This is just my opinion, but it's my opinion, and Peter Edward Rose Sr. (Charlie Hustle) deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I know he bet on baseball and for that he needs to be banned from the game. However, what he did on the field is wholly separate from what he did off of the field. It's not a true Baseball Hall of Fame without Pete Rose.

Pete Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and outs (10,328).

He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).

Lifetime Batting Average: .303
Hits: 4,256
Home runs: 160
RBI: 1,314

3 time NL batting champion (1968, 1969 & 1973)

Led NL in runs scored (1969, 1974, 1975 & 1976)
7 timeNL Hits leader (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976 & 1981)
NL Rookie of the Year (1963)
Hutch Award (1968)
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1969)
NL MVP (1973)
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (1975)
World Series MVP (1975)
Roberto Clemente Award (1976)
Silver Slugger Award winner (1981)
Major League Baseball All-Century Team (1999)

In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball due to accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 2004, after years of public denial, he admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds. After Rose's ban was instated, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction. Previously, those who were banned had been excluded by informal agreement among voters. The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.

He's not a saint, but then again, who in that Hall could throw the first stone? Bottom line... I'll give you 4,256 reasons why he deserves to be in the HoF.