As I said above, I don't think Rose is electable, but one of the things that I think everyone has to keep in mind in this discussion is that Pete managed the Reds for four full seasons, and he brought them home in second place all four times. The next season, when he was suspended mid-season, was a mess for the Reds, but in their first Pete-less season the Reds stayed in first place wire to wire and swept the Series.

So Pete's conduct potentially affected multiple pennant races, and not just the Reds. I don't think you can just assume that Pete didn't throw any games as a manager, and figure that's enough. Part of manager's job is to look past the specfic game, to make sure players are rested, work young players into the lineup. There's a direct conflict between that responsibility and the gambler's impulse to win this bet right here, and I'm not sure that's not part of the reason the division went from LA to Houston to San Francisco to LA to San Francisco in those years. It sure didn't help, though.