So Pete Rose finally admits he bet on baseball. Why now, after all these years:
As long as Rose is banned from baseball, he is ineligible for the Hall of Fame ballot. His last chance to appear on the writers’ ballot is December 2005. After that, if he’s reinstated, he could be voted in by the veterans’ committee.
If he doesn’t get into the Hall now, it’s going to get more difficult for him.
I can understand why he might initially denied betting. That seems to be a natural reaction when one gets caught doing wrong. But for him to carry on with his act for all these years, then reverse course should make him feel really stupid. Apparently, however, it isn’t–he’s being described as “not very apologetic.”
I guess that’s a typical contemporary American celebrity for you.