Rose Voted Onto Team of Century

ATLANTA —  Pete Rose returns to a major league diamond tonight for the first time since being put on baseball’s ineligible list for his gambling activity. Rose, the all-time hit leader, is one of nine outfielders on a 30-man all-century team revealed on NBC before Game 1 of the World Series Saturday night. All living members of the team are expected to be present for a pregame ceremony at Turner Field.

Commissioner Bud Selig is allowing Rose to participate because of the fans’ support for him in the balloting, but that decision didn’t sit well with attorney John Dowd, who headed the investigation that led to Rose voluntarily accepting his suspension.

“It’s a shame,” Dowd said Saturday. “There are a lot of politics involved, but I’m surprised the commissioner is not going to enforce the rules of baseball. Mr. Selig has a position of trust to keep the game honest and clean. The evidence against Mr. Rose was overwhelming, but it’s suddenly as if the investigation doesn’t mean anything.

“I mean, either the guy is on the ineligible list or he isn’t. I just don’t understand it.”

Rose hasn’t done much to improve his image. Even today he’ll be making an appearance at an Atlantic City casino instead of attending the pregame news conference.

But fans didn’t seem to care about Rose’s status.

He was ninth in the outfield voting, finishing ahead of Roberto Clemente, Stan Musial, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson, Tris Speaker and Tony Gwynn, among others.

The team--while carrying baseball’s official stamp--was selected in a fan vote during the summer, with a panel of baseball executives, historians and media members given the opportunity to add five players to compensate for any oversight.

The panel added three pitchers--Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove and Warren Spahn--plus outfielder Musial and shortstop Honus Wagner. The panel’s additions illustrate the difficulty in trying to determine a true All-Star team through a subjective process. Grove and Spahn, left off by the fans, are arguably the two greatest left-handers of all time, Mathewson is among the greatest right-handers, and Wagner, in the view of most historians, remains the greatest shortstop.

Among those left off by both fans and the panel were Jimmie Foxx, George Brett, Joe Morgan, Eddie Mathews, Bob Feller, Tom Seaver and Clemente.

Four active players--Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., and Cal Ripken Jr., were selected by the fans.

Surprisingly, first baseman Lou Gehrig outpolled New York Yankee teammate Babe Ruth as the leading vote-getter. Gehrig received 1,207,992 votes compared to Ruth’s 1,158,044, which was tops among outfielders.

Sandy Koufax, the former Dodger, and Nolan Ryan, the former Angel, are among nine pitchers on the team. Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully will be master of ceremonies for tonight’s ceremony.

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Popular Opinion

Results announced Saturday of fan balloting for baseball’s All-Century Team. Top two made the team, except for outfielders (nine) and pitchers (six):

CATCHERS

1. Johnny Bench: 1,010,403

2. Yogi Berra: 704,208

3. Carlton Fisk: 322,384

4. Roy Campanella: 247,909

5. Josh Gibson: 233,288

6. Mickey Cochrane: 75,344

7. Bill Dickey: 74,295

8. Gabby Hartnett: 24,198

FIRST BASEMEN

1. Lou Gehrig: 1,207,992

2. Mark McGwire: 517,181

3. Jimmie Foxx: 351,488

4. Harmon Killebrew: 185,622

5. Eddie Murray: 161,564

6. Hank Greenberg: 114,317

7. Willie McCovey: 106,717

8. George Sisler: 28,378

9. Buck Leonard: 20,091

10. Bill Terry: 12,976

SECOND BASEMEN

1. Jackie Robinson: 788,116

2. Rogers Hornsby: 630,761

3. Joe Morgan: 608,660

4. Rod Carew: 430,267

5. Nap Lajoie: 90,402

6. Eddie Collins: 58,836

7. Charlie Gehringer: 45,663

8. Frankie Frisch: 27,527

SHORTSTOP

1. Cal Ripken Jr.: 669,033

2. Ernie Banks: 598,168

3. Ozzie Smith: 589,025

4. x-Honus Wagner: 526,740

5. Robin Yount: 134,655

6. Luis Aparicio: 129,328

7. Luke Appling: 28,877

8. Joe Cronin: 27,789

THIRD BASEMEN

1. Mike Schmidt: 855,654

2. Brooks Robinson: 761,700

3. George Brett: 656,511

4. Eddie Mathews: 174,529

5. Paul Molitor: 160,271

6. Pie Traynor: 96,699

OUTFIELDERS

1 Babe Ruth: 1,158,044

2 Hank Aaron: 1,156,782

3. Ted Williams: 1,125,583

4. Willie Mays: 1,115,896

5. Joe DiMaggio: 1,054,423

6. Mickey Mantle: 988,168

7. Ty Cobb: 777,056

8. Ken Griffey Jr.: 645,389

9. Pete Rose: 629,742

10. Roberto Clemente: 582,937

11. x-Stan Musial: 571,279

12. Joe Jackson: 326,415

13. Reggie Jackson: 296,039

14. Tony Gwynn: 232,476

15. Carl Yastrzemski: 222,082

16. Frank Robinson: 220,226

17. Rickey Henderson: 180,940

18. Barry Bonds: 173,279

19. Lou Brock: 131,361

20. Billy Williams: 97,911

21. Tris Speaker: 84,461

22. Willie Stargell: 71,585

23. Al Kaline: 67,719

24. Duke Snider: 63,410

25. Cool Papa Bell: 59,189

26. Mel Ott: 51,748

27. Ralph Kiner: 32,302

28. Al Simmons: 15,930

29. Paul Waner: 15,057

30. Oscar Charleston: 13,893

31. Joe Medwick: 11,238

32. Wee Willie Keeler: 10,553

33. Goose Goslin: 9,475

34. Harry Heilmann: 9,415

PITCHERS

1. Nolan Ryan: 992,040

2. Sandy Koufax: 970,434

3. Cy Young: 867,523

4. Roger Clemens: 601,244

5. Bob Gibson: 582,031

6. Walter Johnson: 479,279

7. Greg Maddux: 431,751

8. Steve Carlton: 405,365

9. Satchel Paige: 399,657

10. x-Warren Spahn: 337,215

11. Tom Seaver: 330,219

12. Whitey Ford: 253,120

13. Bob Feller: 252,115

14. x-Christy Mathewson: 249,747

15. Jim Palmer: 158,266

16. G. C. Alexander: 151,255

17. Dennis Eckersley: 143,710

18. x-Lefty Grove: 142,169

19. Dizzy Dean: 130,389

20. Juan Marichal: 122,366

21. Rollie Fingers: 106,416

22. Carl Hubbell: 54,618

23. Mordecai Brown: 31,432

24. Robin Roberts: 23,366

25. Eddie Plank: 13,195

26. Ed Walsh: 12,687

x--added to team by panel