Philadelphia Phillies: Who’s next for the Wall of Fame?
By the middle of the day Tuesday the news had broken that the Philadelphia Phillies have decided against putting Pete Rose into their Wall of Fame.
No, it’s not because of the gambling.
A woman, who will remain anonymous, claimed that she had a sexual relationship with Pete Rose when she was a minor. The allegations date back to 1973 when Rose was 32, married and had two kids. “Jane Doe” was 14 or 15-years old at the time, per the court filings.
The decision to not honor Rose in the Phillies Wall of Fame is a no brainer. As if he wasn’t volatile enough, he now has this hanging over his head. It really is a shame. Rose was one of the best to ever play the game but his reputation will forever be tarnished due to the rape allegations and gambling issues. He made the decisions to do so and now he has to deal with it.
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All of that said, the Philadelphia Phillies still could honor someone at Alumni weekend. It might sound disingenuous with Rose losing his invitation yesterday, but there are other Phillies who deserve it.
The person I would want to see immortalized in the Wall of Fame is relief pitcher, and now color commentary man, Larry Andersen. Andersen was a Phillie from 1983-1986 and again from 1993-1994. He is the only Phillie to play in both the 1983 and 1993 World Series.
Through six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Andersen has 221 strikeouts, a 3.45 ERA, and a 1.354 WHIP. Per the Philadelphia Phillies website, Larry Andersen holds the record for scoreless innings from a relief pitcher at 32.2 innings. That number is good for third longest overall behind Grover Alexander and Cliff Lee.
While his numbers aren’t exactly eye popping, he does have two World Series appearances and is the voice of the Phillies, alongside Scott Franzke, on WIP. In a list done by the MLB Network, he was ranked the 12th best personality in the history of Major League Baseball.
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As bad as it sounds, I’m happy the news about Rose broke before the Phils put him on the Wall. This gives them a clean opportunity to honor someone who deserves it and truly embodies what it means to be a Phillie. Despite only playing six seasons out of seventeen in Philadelphia, Larry Andersen is the perfect fit for the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame.
He has decent numbers, holds a record, appeared in two World Series, and he’s been commentating full time for the Phils since 2008. I don’t know if the Phillies will honor a player this season, but if they do the right person for the job is Larry Andersen. He may have been a journeyman but he is forever a Phillie.