| | ATLANTA -- Despite his lifetime ban from baseball, Pete Rose is scheduled to be on the field before Game 2 of the World Series on Sunday as part of baseball's All-Century team.
Fans voted for the century's top 25 players, including nine
outfielders, and Rose was consistently ninth in the voting, which
ran from July 13-Sept. 19. His election was confirmed Wednesday by
a baseball official familiar with the final vote totals, speaking
on the condition he not be identified.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig decided in August that Rose
could participate in the All-Century team if he was elected. Rose,
however, was not invited to a luncheon prior to the All-Star game
that honored the living members among the 100 on the ballot.
Rose, then manager of the Cincinnati Reds, agreed on Aug. 23,
1989, to a lifetime ban from baseball following an investigation
into his gambling, a deal announced the following day by
commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.
Baseball's career hits leader applied for reinstatement in
September 1997. While Selig hasn't formally ruled on the
application, he's made clear numerous times that he has no
intention of lifting the ban.
The All-Century team, which includes five people overlooked by
fans and added by a special panel, will be announced Saturday and
honored the following day.
As long as he's banned, Rose is ineligible for the Hall of Fame.
No person ever permanently banned has ever been reinstated.
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