The Baseball Hall of Fame decided on Feb. 4, 1991, that Pete Rose would be banned for life from induction to hallowed Cooperstown. His crime — betting on his own games.
Thirty years and one month later, inside the ornate, North Hearing Room on the Senate side of Ohio’s Capitol building in Columbus, without a hint of irony or history, a lobbyist representing Rose’s Cincinnati Reds asked lawmakers for more than just a simple “yes” to sports betting in the state.
He asked that the Reds get a license to offer betting near their ballpark, and, more importantly to them, to offer gambling online.
“Our risk is scandal,” said Doug Healy, the man speaking for the Reds.
