Washington Nationals Manager Dave Martinez is in his 33rd major league season as a player, coach or manager. He was in the prime of his playing career when MLB issued Pete Rose a lifetime ban for betting on baseball in 1989, and he has been in major league clubhouses practically ever since.
So when he was asked this week what he thought about San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano receiving a lifetime ban for betting on baseball last season when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, his answer was as informed as it was blunt.
“You know, I’m going to be quite honest: [The betting] was dumb,” Martinez said. “It’s frowned upon. It has been. In spring training, we go through meetings. Every now and then, we have someone come through from MLB telling us that gambling on baseball is not allowed. It’s not. Why do it? Why take a chance?”
