Morals. Should baseball morals be more important than real life morals? What's worse: gambling or using illegal drugs? Pete Rose is still banned from baseball for betting on his team. Now, of course, I'm not trying to minimize his poor judgment. Make no mistake about it...Rose committed a serious misjudgment. But he never cheated. And while I'm not one of those writers who believes that all steroid/HGH users were cheaters, others believe that, in fact, those players were cheaters. Mark McGwire will not make it into the Hall of Fame, because most sports writers believe he cheated. Pete Rose never cheated. Yet, players like McGwire aren't banned from the game. So how are all of those accused steroid players getting a free pass, while Pete Rose sits on the outside looking in?

The Brewers recently signed former steroid user Jay Gibbons to a minor league contract. I am a firm believer in second chances, so I was glad to see a team give Gibbons an opportunity. Other players such as Paul LoDuca and Andy Pettitte are playing today, which is fine, yet Pete Rose is still banned from MLB because of his mistake many years ago. In the 1980's, the late Steve Howe was suspended seven times for alcohol and cocaine abuse. Howe had six chances to redeem himself. Personally, I think cocaine abuse is far worse than gambling. But MLB is being hard on Rose because he committed the ultimate baseball sin...he bet on the game. Even though he did bet on his own team, he still bet on the game, which is a baseball sin.

In late 1980, during a customs search in Toronto, Ontario, Ferguson Jenkins was found possessing 3.0 grams cocaine, 2.2 grams hashish, and 1.75 grams marijuana. Yet, he returned to the mound the following season, and was eventually elected into the Hall of Fame. In 1975, after retiring, Orlando Cepeda was arrested while picking up a marijuana shipment at a San Juan airport. He's currently in the Hall of Fame.

So apparently, the lesson here is that it's okay and forgivable to use or sell illegal drugs such as cocaine, just so long as you don't bet on baseball while pushing the drugs. If you want to be a cheater and use steroids as a way of cheating and enhancing your homerun totals, it's okay...you'll be forgiven after a short suspension, just as long as you didn't bet on baseball while injecting the drug. The almighty baseball gods believe it is far less of an infraction to buy or sell illegal drugs, than it is to bet on your team to win. Whether it's illegal drugs or it is betting on baseball, both offenses are clearly wrong, but why is gambling so much worse than using or buying/selling cocaine or steroids? What do you think is worse...gambling or doing drugs? What has happened that illegal drug users deserve a second chance, while those with a gambling problem do not?

Pete Rose deserves to be reinstated by MLB. He deserves a second chance. He was wrong, he finally admitted to his mistake, and it's time that he's permitted to return to baseball...if not as a manager or coach, than as someone able to attend baseball functions and work as a TV analyst. He's done his time. In the real world, a person buying, selling, or possessing drugs would do significant time in prison. In the real world, someone caught gambling illegally, would get a slap on the wrist. But in the world of baseball, it's the gamblers who pay the ultimate price. Granted it is wrong, and betting against your team would, in fact, be unforgivable. But Rose didn't bet against his team. He bet on his team to win. (Interesting to note that if Rose never became a manager, he would never have been suspended)

So the message to baseball players: If you use cocaine, you'll be suspended, then welcome back. If you use steroids and/or HGH, you'll be suspended, and then reinstated. Go ahead and hit tainted homeruns, or pitch 5mph harder, but if we catch you, you'll be suspended for 60 days, then you can play the game again. But don't bet money on your team to win, because you'll be suspended for life. Those are baseball morals.

Court Adjourned!