Immediately after his election as Commissioner of baseball,
Angelo Bartlett Giamatti faced the most significant scandal to
rock baseball since the 1919 Black Sox. While investigating Pete
Rose, Giamatti’s prime responsibility was to protect the game,
even when it was threatened by one of baseball’s high-profile
figures.  The case against Rose, and the lifetime ban he levied,
remain Giamatti’s legacy.  Giamatti’s actions in the years prior
to his accession to the commissioner’s office offer a better
understanding of who Giamatti was both as a fan of the game and
as a league official.  In 1988, while serving as President of
the National League, Giamatti suspended Rose for 30 days for
shoving umpire Dave Pallone during an argument. Rose alleged
that Pallone provoked him by poking him in the eye, a charge
Pallone denied and baseball could not prove.  After Rose was
ejected, the fans in Cincinnati threw objects onto the field,
delaying the game for 15 minutes and forcing Pallone to leave
the field for the remainde