http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/68288/corked_bats_reportedly_belonging_to_pete_rose_come_to_light
Pete Rose bats which were supposedly used in the year he chased the hit record have been xrayed and cork has been found. Two bats, in collectors hands have been checked.
Rose denies that he used cork bats, but will this story knock his forgiveness back a bit?
Is it another stake through his HOF chances?
He had chances? Unfortunately, the panel of Hall of Fame voters aren’t keen on forgiving, even though Rose should be in on his numbers alone.
Not a lot of info to go on here, really.
What evidence is there that these were actual game-used Rose bats besides the vague “Schubert confirmed the bat had been used in game action”?
What is the chain of custody?
I’m not saying it’s impossible that Rose used corked bats, but it’s also easy to believe that someone may have tampered with them after the fact. I’ve yet to be convinced either way.
His period of eligibility is already up. Even if MLB reinstates him, his Hall chances would depend on the Veterans’ Committee, which is now comprised essentially of all the current members. If he can then convince enough of them that he belongs in their number, he’s in.
Too late for edit: I read the link within the OP’s link, and they appear to have done their homework. This is either true or a flat-out hoax – but probably true.
I also read the deadspin story, found here.
Sloppy reporting, IMHO. They claim a clean chain of custody, but that really isn’t the case. The bat has been out of Rose’s control for years, owned by at least two private collectors and a memorabilia dealer. It may have been altered by anybody. Also, I don’t put a lot of weight in the report that some bat expert looked at pictures and concluded it is the same bat…again, it could have been altered to match the photos. There is no proof that even if Rose corked this particular bat, that he ever used it in a game. Maybe he used it only in batting practice, and the number painted on the head was so he wouldn’t get it confused with a “game bat”.
Also, if Rose knew he’d corked the bat, it would seem foolish to issue such a vehement denial, and challenge someone to “prove” the bat was corked. If he’d done it, seems like he would have ducked the question, or otherwise avoided a direct answer.
Rose has always been a fool, so that’s not an issue. If they are his, and he did cork them, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. The cheating little shit deserves to be banned from even being in the same state as the Hall.
Well, if this turns out to be true…or even just more likely true than not, Rose can forget about even posthumous election to the Hall of Fame. And that would make me sad. Rose, aka “Charlie Hustle” was a childhood hero as part of the Big Red Machine. I don’t believe he ever threw a baseball game to win a bet. I don’t think it is in his nature to do that. Hope not, anyway.
“Say it ain’t so, Pete. Say it ain’t so.”
Deadspin | Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise Heres another story that puts the bat in his hands. He had special bats made by Mizuno for the chase. They are easy to track.
Pete Rose will get into the Hall eventually…as a talking head floating in a jar.
I believe Pete Rose, because he has proven himself to be a very trustworthy person over the years.
This is hilarious. I don’t know what else to say about it.
Yeah. I think that he’s capable of anything except for that. The corked bat, on the other hand, doesn’t surprise me one bit.
It’s kinda like saying “I don’t think Al Capone ever intentionally killed a nun.” Damning with faint praise indeed.
Didn’t Mythbusters do this one and determine that corked bats, because they impart less force to the ball, actually cause the ball to travel a shorter distance than a regular, unaltered bat?
Help me out, here: is a corked bat worse than, say, a spitball?
For generating power for home runs. For a singles hitter like Rose, a corked bat may be very beneficial.
More about corked bats than you probably care to read here.
It looks like corked bat probably costs the hitter some efficiency, but I’d wager (assuming that the linked page is correct about the performance differences) that the weight difference makes up for it because it allows the hitter to wait a few fractions of a second longer before swinging.
I’ve never understood the logic behind the corked bat. OK, it makes the bat lighter. But doesn’t the drilling into the bat impact the strength integrity of the wood?
Plus, in general, who corks the bat? The player, or someone that works for the player?
ETA: I’m going to go to that link about corked bats… maybe my questions will be answered!
very interesting article…