Pete Rose

Anyone who's spent time perusing a sports almanac can tell you that Pete Rose may have bet on baseball, but it's crystal clear, the guy never bet against himself—the guys stats are amazing, and it's obvious, he's got the stats to prove he played his heart out every game more so than these steroid pumped divas making $20 million a year.

Seriously, when Pete Rose played the game, he played the game, and in at least one way, he revolutionized baseball. He took the Cincinnatti Red to three Series titles. (Most people have forgot Cincinnati even has a team)

He's a hall-of-famer—end of story.

Here's a little excerpt from Wikipedia to give you an idea:

"Rose played from 1963 to 1986, best known for his many years with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053)[1], 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 an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B, and 1B).

Rose's nickname, "Charlie Hustle", was given to him for his unique playing style. Even when being walked, Rose would sprint to first base, instead of the traditional trot to the base. Rose was known for sliding headfirst into a base, his signature move. This method is now used almost exclusively by stealing base runners today, and has been ever since the late '70s.

In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds; some accusations claimed that he bet on the Reds. In 2004, after years of public denial, he admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds.[2] 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."

So, here's my take, if any of these steroid pumped douchebags make it into the hall of fame, and there's probably about 50 players, who are going to make it—Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, and he should be in the hall of fame without an asterisk.