In fact, it was the second question the outgoing commissioner received during his conference at Great American Ball Park on Friday night. Rose was banned for life from baseball in 1989 by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti, but there are plenty of people — especially in Reds country — that believe Selig could reinstate him or pardon him before stepping down in January.
“I understand I am in The Land of Pete Rose, driving in here on Pete Rose Way,” he said, via FOXSports.com. “All that is fair. The man was a great player and had a great history here. He was a great hitter. But, you know, there are a lot of things in life that happen that the commissioner, or any of us, wish hadn’t happened. I was particularly close to Bart Giamatti, one of the best friends I ever had in the world.
“I understand the feeling here in Cincinnati, I do. I’m sensitive to it, as a matter of fact,” he added. “I’ve said, because I am the judge and it is a matter under advisement, that it is inappropriate for me to say any more about it.”
That didn’t stop the questions from flooding in about Rose, but Selig remained tight-lipped about Rose’s status. Selig did not give anything away, only telling the media that he still has a few months to mull the matter over.
“How it ends, eventually, I do not know,” he said. “I’ve taken it seriously, talked to a lot of people. It is one of those situations that is difficult and you wished it didn’t exist. I have to think about this. I have five months to think about it.”
