Despite being asked by Major League Baseball not to comment on the possibility of Pete Rose being reinstated to baseball, former commissioner Fay Vincent wrote that Rose shouldn't be allowed to return in an editorial piece in The New York Times on Monday.

Vincent wrote that the evidence collected by the commissioner's office 13 years ago seemed overwhelming that Rose had bet on his own team repeatedly. Bart Giamatti was the commissioner at the time and Vincent was his assistant.

Vincent wrote, "I was Bart's deputy in 1989, and from my seat I see no reason why Mr. Rose should be allowed back in the game. On talk radio people say, 'Thirteen years is punishment enough.' No, it's not. Nothing has changed in 13 years."

Vincent went on to say that Bud Selig, the current commissioner, should not allow Rose back into the game.

Vincent wrote, "The vital issue is what is best for baseball. The commissioner must act in the best interests of the game. Gambling on baseball by baseball personnel undermines the sport. The deterrent, the risk of lifetime banishment, works. Everyone in baseball knows with certainty that betting on a game in which you have an interest will lead to a lifetime ban. To dilute that deeply felt fear the present commissioner must conclude that all previous commissioners were wrong. After all, none of us was willing to reinstate Shoeless Joe Jackson."

Vincent acknowledged the public opinion polls, which seem to favor Rose's return, but disagreed.

He wrote, "I accept the ancient dictum to temper justice with mercy. But to readmit Mr. Rose now, with only a press-release apology, would exhibit too much mercy to a single man and not enough respect for the game he played and the fans who pay to watch it. It is Mr. Rose who has yet to accept the justice of his situation. He had 4,256 hits - and one colossal whiff."