The American Spectator

Most disturbing of all, 92% believe Rose bet on baseball, and 57% believe he bet on Reds games. In other words, the majority believes he is guilty of the offense he is charged with — for which the rule provides a clear punishment — but thinks he should skate anyway. The analogy here (as in many other aspects of the case) is to the Clinton impeachment, when the majority of Americans thought Clinton guilty of perjury but didn’t want him punished for it.

The Rose story is a window into the current state of American ethics, and it ‘s not a pretty view. For all that September 11 revealed about the resolve we are still able to call upon in times of challenge, we remain slothful and lethargic when it comes to the value judgments that firm principles require. And it is that sloth that Bud Selig will rely upon if he reinstates Rose, since the commissioner would never contemplate doing this without public support.

That such support exists, that such a substantial portion of the American public subscribes to subjective ethics, is the real story of the Rose affair. And yet the commissioner, as compromised a figure as he is, can still resist these forces and show real leadership by denying Rose’s application. He has presided over a decade of damage to the game, from extra playoff rounds that emasculate the regular season to the degeneration of the game into a home run derby, fueled most likely by rampant steroid use. But all of this pales beside the issue facing him now. This could be his final chance to do something courageous.

If he gives in, though, Bud Selig will become baseball’s Cardinal Law.