The not-so-bombshell decision on Tuesday by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to reinstate Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and others, opening the door for their eligibility for the Hall of Fame, was actually months in the making. In January, representatives for Rose filed a petition in support of the former Reds star, who died last September, with MLB. Then in an April White House meeting, Manfred met with Donald Trump and discussed the Rose affair. Trump has made his opinions known about Rose for years. Though the wheels were already in motion, the meeting made Rose’s reinstatement feel inevitable.
Manfred was – and is – in a difficult position. Across American institutions – from law firms to media outlets to universities – the intense pressure from the White House to conform to Trump has been hard to ignore. And with immigration from countries that produce many of MLB’s players a major source of contention, it’s entirely understandable that Manfred would want to protect the interests of his sport.
