BASEBALL Selig, Rose discuss reinstatement

Admitting his misdeeds would be a requirement.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pete Rose has to say "I did it" before baseball ends his lifetime ban.
Rose and commissioner Bud Selig met secretly in Milwaukee on Nov. 25 and their lawyers have been exchanging draft proposals that could end the ban, a baseball executive said Tuesday on the condition he not be identified.
A 17-time All-Star and former National League MVP, Rose agreed to the ban in August 1989 following an investigation of his gambling but has maintained he never bet on baseball. None of the 14 men previously banned for life by the commissioner's office was ever reinstated.
"It's a first hopeful sign," said Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, who wrote twice to Selig last month urging Rose's reinstatement. Luken said he spoke to Bob DuPuy, Selig's top aide, on Nov. 27 and DuPuy said he would get back to him in about 30 days.
Admission requirement
Baseball wants Rose to admit misdeeds -- that he bet on baseball -- as part of any agreement ending the ban, the executive said.
Rose cannot appear on the ballot for the Hall of Fame as long as he is on the permanently ineligible list.
Baseball officials already have held meetings to discuss the implications of a possible reinstatement, the executive said.
Selig did not return a telephone call seeking comment and DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, issued a statement that did not confirm or deny the meeting. Rose's lawyers, S. Gary Spicer and Roger Makley, did not comment.
Rose took a flight to Milwaukee from Cincinnati on Nov. 24 and chatted with members of Marquette's women's basketball team, which was returning home from a game in Dayton, according to the school.
Warren Greene, Rose's business agent, was at the meeting, as was DuPuy, and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, a high-ranking baseball official said Tuesday, also on the condition of anonymity. Baseball and Rose have been exchanging proposals for more than 1 1/2 years, the official said.
The executive said Selig wanted a resolution "sooner rather than later." Rose recently approached a person involved in baseball's investigation and said, "Give me a second chance," another baseball executive said, also on the condition of anonymity.
Current status
Rose applied for reinstatement in September 1997 but Selig hasn't ruled on it, saying he hasn't seen a reason to alter the ban. Still, he has twice allowed Rose to participate in pregame on-field promotions at World Series games. Other than that, Rose may not be in areas not accessible to fans.
Rose was investigated by baseball starting in February 1989 while manager of the Reds. John Dowd, who headed the inquiry for commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, wrote a report that detailed 412 baseball wagers between April 8 and July 5, 1987, including 52 on Cincinnati to win. Dowd cited evidence that included betting slips alleged to be in Rose's handwriting, and telephone and bank records.
After a legal challenge, Rose agreed to the lifetime ban Aug. 23.
Dowd wasn't sure reinstatement would be the correct decision.
"I would be very careful before I put him back," he said. "I guess I come down on the side of history. To me, you can't have someone back in baseball unless they've cleaned it all up and have it all straightened out.
"If you don't, you have the game in jeopardy. What do you do with the bookmakers he's ever dealt with? What do you do with the people he owes money? Has he reconfigured his life?"