Society should resist the urge to forgive the immortal Pete Rose and let him swing in the tree he nurtured for himself.

Rose will plead guilty Friday to felony tax charges after a year-long investigation focusing on income earned from signing autographs and personal appearances that he failed to report.

Rose was banished from baseball last year when it was discovered that Charlie Hustle was betting with bookies.

People try to cheat the government everyday. Rose is no different. People also bet with bookies everyday. And again, Rose is no different.

But as Charlie Hustle, Rose is different. Society can and should expect more from someone who is considered one of the best players to ever grace the field. And his prowess on the diamond should not fool society into absolving him from his guilt just because he can hit the tar out of a ball.

When Rose traveled around the country out of a suitcase, crushing pitchers as if they were some of the peanuts the vendors were selling, he decided that he was going to be someone that everybody watched. Good or bad.

Rose should be used by the American public to demonstrate that superstars won’t keep their heavenly status when they do something wrong. They will be treated like everyone else. Nothing they did before should come into play.