COCHRAN'S ARGUMENTS WORK IN MOCK ROSE TRIAL.Byline: Daily News CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - By an 8-4 vote, Pete Rose should be eligible for enshrinement in Baseball's Hall of Fame despite his admission of gambling, a jury decided during a mock trial A simulated trial-level proceeding conducted by students to understand trial rules and processes. Usually tried before a mock jury, these proceedings are different from Moot Court proceedings, which simulate appellate arguments. Thursday at Harvard Law School's Austin Hall. The trial, done for ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network as a live show, featured Johnnie Cochran as the defense attorney and Alan Dershowitz as the prosecutor. ``Fourteen years of banishment ... enough is enough,'' Cochran told the jury in his closing argument. ``Now it's time to bring Pete Rose home - home to the Hall of Fame.'' Cochran's main argument contended the 225-page Dowd Report from Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. was biased and inaccurate. Cochran also received help from some of the 10 witnesses that included Hank Aaron, Steve Garvey and Dave Parker. Bill Lee, the former Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. pitcher who admitted to not even liking Rose, said on the stand the former Cincinnati Reds star should not be banished forever. ``He's the kind of guy you hate, but if you were putting together a team, you'd draft him,'' Lee said. Cochran stressed Rose never has admitted he bet on baseball and signed an agreement with then-commissioner Bart Giamatti thinking he would be admitted to the Hall of Fame in a few years. When Giamatti died, Cochran asserted, his successor Fay Vincent changed the rules so Rose's eligibility would not be considered. ``In many respects, the Dowd Report is a red herring Red Herring A preliminary registration statement that must be filed with the SEC describing a new issue of stock (IPO) and the prospects of the issuing company. Notes: ,'' Cochran said. Dershowitz's case was centered on the rules of baseball, ``and there is one rule that exists and appears in every clubhouse and every ballpark, all the way down to the minor leagues. And that is - Thou shall not bet on baseball, especially not a game in which you have a duty. Anyone who violates that rule should be ruled permanently ineligible.'' Rose admitted in a 1989 deposition he had illegally bet on NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga games, as well as college and professional basketball. He denied betting on baseball. An ESPN.com SportsNation Poll revealed 79 percent of the more than 300,000 respondents supported Rose's inclusion in the Hall of Fame. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Johnnie Cochran plays the role of defense attorney in Thursday's mock trial at Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (colloquially, Harvard Law or HLS) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard Law is considered one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States. on Pete Rose's status for the Hall of Fame. Josh Reynolds/Associated Press |
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