Poll: Rose Deserves Jail, Election to Hall

Americans overwhelmingly believe Pete Rose deserved jail time for cheating on his taxes, but most also say he should be allowed to work in baseball again--and even get a swing at the Hall of Fame.

In a national Associated Press poll, 81% said it was right for Rose, baseball’s all-time hit leader, to be sentenced to federal prison last week for failing to report $350,000 in income. He got five months.

But respondents went easier on Rose in relation to baseball. Nearly two-thirds overall said Rose, former manager of the Cincinnati Reds, should be allowed to work in baseball again. He was banished from the sport for life last year for gambling on baseball, but can apply for reinstatement.

Two-thirds said Rose should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Baseball fans were a bit more likely than non-fans to favor Rose for the Hall, 71% to 63%, and men were more supportive than women, 74% to 62%.

Rose becomes eligible in December, 1991, for election by sportswriters to the Hall.

Women also were slightly more likely than men to say Rose had damaged baseball’s image, 43% to 36%. But men were somewhat harder on Rose in other areas: Eighty-five percent said he deserved jail time, compared with 78% of women who said so. Although 67% of women said Rose should be allowed into baseball at some point, that fell to 59% of men.

The phone survey of 1,004 adults was conducted for the AP from Friday through Tuesday by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultant Cos. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.