[chucksabr]

To be fair, the HoF mission statement does not contemplate being "honorable", as it is widely defined. It contemplates only honoring excellence, which is a very different concept.

But also to be fair, Rule #5 of BBWAA's Rules for Election stipulates that "[v]oting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played," and while Rose is well-qualified by at least three of these standards, he fails in spectacular fashion on two of them, and quite possibly three.

It can be fairly debated whether the Baseball Hall of Fame should even consider attributes such as character and integrity for inclusion while other sports, notably football, have no such requirement. But it can't be seriously debated that as long as the Baseball Hall does require those two characteristics, Pete Rose will always fall very, very short against them.