Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew comes to Pete Rose's defense

Everyone has a opinion when it comes to whether or not Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose deserves a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rod Carew made his feelings known last week.

Carew, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, was asked a question on social media about sports gambling. The 77-year-old, who played for both the Minnesota Twins and California Angels, had a very succinct answer.

Carew responded by saying that it's hypocritical, claiming that it makes no sense for Major League Baseball to embrace gambling while also keeping Rose off the Hall of Fame ballot.

Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew comes to Pete Rose's defense.

To be fair, Rod Carew has a very valid point. It seems rather hypocritical for Major League Baseball to have such a harsh stance against gambling while also fully embracing the concept as a whole.

Pete Rose was suspended in August of 1989 after accusations emerged that he had bet on baseball while a player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Rose denied those accusations until 2004 when he finally came clean and admitted to gambling on the sport, but claimed he always bet on the Reds to win.

Rose has been fighting for years in an attempt to have his ban lifted, but has yet to succeed. The Hit King even wrote a letter very recently to current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and asked to be reinstated.

Most fans throughout the Queen City still revere Rose and consider his absence from the Hall of Fame to be an utter shame. There are others who believe that his punishment was just and that Rose should remain permanently ineligible.

Rod Carew had one last thought after a Twitter user rebuttal his assertion that MLB is being hypocritical. Carew stated, "If they can embrace gambling to the level of putting it in the stadium, they can forgive Pete and recognize him for the great he is. That’s the point."