betting on baseball games while you are a palyer, manager, or owner is the worst you can do. even if Pete Rose only ever bet on his own team, any day he decided not to bet on his own team would be a pretty good indication to bookies that he thought his team would lose that day. Besides, even if he really was gambling just on other sports with the most innocent intentions, as a manager of a pro baseball team if his losses start to accumulate (as they almost always do) suddenly a pro manager finds himself beholden to bookies. Say he can't pay off and the bookie says "well, if you lose the next three games I'll forgive the debt." The moment anyone ina position to control baseball games begins gambling the entire integrity of the competition is called into question. You never know whether the game is being thrown or not.

With steroids people are cheating, but they are only trying to get an extra advantage through illegal means. People get advantages through legal means all the time and that is perfectly normal. Albert Pujols or Tony Gwynn hit better than almost everyone else because they study their swings and make minute refinements. Most players are unwillin to study to such a degree. So Barry Bonds takes steroids to gain an advantage, another thing others are unwilling to do. What Barry "might have done" is shameful and illegal and will cost him in the long run, but you dont lose faith in the fact that the Giants are always trying to win because of it. Stroids make your stats suspect and untrustworthy, but the game is still a competition to be the best. Once teams or players start throwing games for money then the sport is no better than scripted events like pro wrestling or tv sitcoms.

In all locker rooms the number one rule posted is NO GAMBLING. every player, manager, trainer, owner knows that rule. It is the one thing you can do that can never be forgiven. All involved know this. Pete Rose chose his path for whatever reason but with the full knowledge that if he got caught he would be banished forever. Maybe he thought he would be forgiven, or never caught, but he took that chance and he should pay the price.