What’s Next for Pete Rose? : Hall of Fame: Baseball violations appear to carry more weight than do IRS violations. Election outcome not at all certain.

Even as Pete Rose was coming to grips with his prison sentence Thursday, several prominent sportswriters who vote on Hall of Fame nominees were discussing--and not always agreeing--whether Rose’s chances for induction have been dimmed further by his tax violations.

“The IRS violations don’t concern me. I’m only concerned with Pete Rose’s baseball violations,” said Jerome Holtzman, veteran baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune.

Holtzman, who did not directly address whether he favors Rose’s being inducted into the Hall, added of Rose: “We’re not voting him into the IRS or the FBI Hall of Fame; it’s just the baseball Hall of Fame.”

Jack Lang, a former New York Daily News sportswriter and a longtime officer of the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America, said he is not ready to decide whether Rose belongs in the Hall.

“I’m glad I have until 1992 (when Rose first becomes eligible) before I have to make up my mind,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to come out before 1992. By then, he could (have recovered from gambling problems) and be pointing the other way. Who knows? He could be squeaky clean.”