There Is Some Gray Area, as Far as They’re Concerned

Attention, Jim Gray:

You may need to resume your interrogation of Pete Rose. There are still some questions you neglected to ask him, such as:

1. Were you in any way involved in the fixing of the 1919 World Series?

2. Are you now, or have you ever been, a Communist?

3. Were you in Brentwood on the evening of June 12, 1994?

BRIAN GREENE

Los Angeles

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Strike 1 on Jim Gray on Sunday for his ill-timed interrogation-interview of Pete Rose. Strike 2 Monday for standing by the interview, then, Strike 3, you’re out, Jim, for the half-baked apology Tuesday.

Gray made admissions sound so easy to do during his interview Sunday, but I guess it’s not all roses to say you screwed up when the cleat is on the other foot.

DOUGLAS LITTLETON

Pasadena

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NBC’s Jim Gray blew it, all right! He succeeded in making the arrogant, self-centered Pete Rose look like a sympathetic figure!

Now we’ve got young players like Chad Curtis buying into the myth that Rose is being unfairly persecuted, and not understanding that Rose’s attitude and behavior have jeopardized the game that these players profess to love and to which they owe their livelihood.

CAROLE LOUISE CALDERA

Lake Arrowhead

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The sustained standing ovation for Pete Rose at the World Series pregame ceremony is a good indication how the average baseball fan feels about Pete Rose the ballplayer. Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose is not bad for baseball. Chewing tobacco is bad for baseball. AstroTurf is bad for baseball. The designated hitter is bad for baseball. Three-time drug offenders are bad for baseball. Million-dollar players striking for more money are bad for baseball. But Pete Rose is not bad for baseball.

Commissioner, please, lift the ban.

JIM WAGNER

Irvine

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Like many others, I was stunned by Jim Gray’s interview of Pete Rose. I was stunned not only to be watching a sports reporter ask meaningful questions instead of the usual pap, but by the fact that he pursued them when the subject dodged the questions.

Gray asked pertinent questions, ones the baseball world would like to hear answered. Rose refused to answer and then played the injured victim. Rose is a loser, living a life of denial. He never should have been allowed on the field (another moronic decision by Dud Selig) and he should never have been even elected to this team. Yes, Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame. But not at the level he (and a lot of misguided fans) thinks he deserves, and not until he confesses and apologizes. Gray should be lauded, not vilified, for the job he did.

MICHAEL HELWIG

Canoga Park

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Commissioner Bud Selig, I have a proposition for you. You want baseball to prosper. You always talk about the integrity of the game. Let’s make an even trade.

I’ll give you Pete Rose for reinstatement and you ban NBC’s Jim Gray from baseball for life. I’ll have a lawyer draw up the papers.

KEITH HATCH

Laguna Niguel

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If Pete Rose is to remain banned from baseball for allegedly giving the game a black eye, then Jim Gray should be banned from baseball reporting for definitely giving journalism two.

BRIAN FAST

Los Angeles

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Since when is Pete Rose a victim? Jim Gray asked direct, tough questions that created tension simply because Rose refused to answer them honestly. For those of us who are tired of the powder-puff interviews that today accompany most of sports broadcasting, this was a breath of fresh air. Viewers who expressed outrage toward Gray are misguided; it is Rose who should be the target for his stubborn and arrogant refusal to account for his past transgressions and for his shameless treatment of the game that has given him so much.

MATTHEW MICHAEL

Encinitas

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Bravo to Jim Gray for his interview with Charlie Hustler. Rose signed an agreement with major league baseball to keep secret the most devastating evidence against him, thereby preserving what was left of his reputation. Now he spits on the grave of Bart Giamatti by standing on a major league field and pretending there is no evidence. Rose may be able to scam lots of fans; it’s nice there’s at least one journalist who remembers the facts.

BRIAN YOUNG

Los Angeles

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I hope Jim Gray is proud of himself and his Pete Rose interview. He took what should have been a celebration of baseball’s history and turned it into something ugly. Why didn’t he just shove his mike under Mark McGwire’s nose and pester him about andro use?

Frankly, I think Rose deserves induction into the Hall of Fame just for having the self-discipline not to punch Gray’s lights out.

PAUL McELLIGOTT

Lake Forest

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Millions of people across the country now have “what seems to be overwhelming evidence” that Jim Gray is a jerk.

EVAN AITKENS

Mission Viejo

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I lost a lot of respect for NBC Sports. Pete Rose certainly is not perfect, but he deserves better--as a baseball great, and as a human being. The network did not even give him his 15 minutes of ‘90s fame.

DAVID R. SAMS

Los Angeles

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The supposed team-of-the-century balloting resulted in Pete Rose being chosen to play outfield ahead of Roberto Clemente. Putting aside hitting, fielding, running and throwing, Rose is the obvious choice.

KEVIN PARK

Agoura Hills