By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dowd

By most accounts, Pete Rose being reinstated by baseball will require an admission he bet on baseball.

That would be more than enough to satisfy baseball fans and possibly commissioner Bud Selig.

But John Dowd, the man who headed the investigation that put Rose on the permanently ineligible list, says it shouldn't be that simple.

"Once he admits he bet on baseball, they have to pick up that deposition I started in April of 1989," Dowd said. "If he's going to be truthful, they have to find who, what, when and how he bet. The debt issue (with bookmakers) has to be dealt with.

"There's a lot to this."

THE DOWD REPORT

Findings of baseball's 1989 investigation into Rose's gambling

Rose's agent, Warren Greene, and Major Baseball League spokesman Rich Levin had no comment on the Rose situation Wednesday, two days after word leaked that Rose, Selig, former Rose teammate Mike Schmidt and MLB president Bob DuPuy met Nov.25 in Milwaukee to discuss Rose's reinstatement. Schmidt also declined comment.

Dowd's 225-page report was the document behind Rose's ban Aug. 23, 1989. Dowd cited 412 incidents of Rose wagering on baseball, including betting on the Reds 52 times while he was their manager. The evidence included betting slips in Rose's handwriting, as well as phone and banking records.

The agreement Rose signed before his ban included this clause: "Nothing in this agreement shall be deemed an admission or a denial by Peter Edward Rose of the allegation that he bet on any major-league baseball game."

But then-commissioner Bart Giamatti and Dowd made it clear they thought Rose bet on baseball. Rose continually has denied that.

Giamatti died shortly after the agreement was signed, but Fay Vincent, the deputy commissioner under Giamatti who succeeded him as commissioner, believes Rose must admit he bet on baseball before he is reinstated.

"Without that statement that he did it, I would be very disappointed," Vincent told the Associated Press.

Dowd doesn't think even a mea culpa is enough.

"From a historical sense, I'd be surprised if they reinstated him," Dowd said. "But given who's running baseball, I'm not surprised."

Selig has been under tremendous public pressure to reinstate Rose since Rose appeared at Game4 of the World Series. That appearance, sponsored by MasterCard, came two weeks after Rose was not allowed to participate in the closing ceremonies for Cinergy Field.

MORE ON ROSE

Recent Pete Rose reports on Cincinnati.com: • Pete back? Say it's so, Bud • DAUGHERTY: Please, Bud, free The Hit King • Rose steals stage at World Series • Farewell to Cinergy: Rose brings the house down - for good • Fans satisfied that Rose got last hurrah • DAUGHERTY: We still love our Pete • Browning paints tribute to Rose • Video, highlights of Rose's record hit, 4,192

Rose's return would give baseball some positive publicity - something it sorely needs.

But Dowd says lifting the permanent ban is a big step, particularly if Rose wants to return to managing, which he has said he does.

"This isn't just about Pete Rose," Dowd said. "This is about the integrity of the game. If they put him back on the field, they have to make sure he's completely clean.

"If he comes back and is still gambling - even legally - you're going to be right back where this started. He has a serious problem. If you allow him to bet on horse racing or whatever, that's like allowing an alcoholic to take one drink."

E-mail jfay@enquirer.com