A hell of a lot!

He's lost the ability to make a living at the thing he knows the best.

For a time, he lost his freedom, courtesy of the feds and the IRS.

He's lost most of his reputation which has been savaged and ripped to shreds.

He's lost the benefit of the doubt, thanks to a cynical press that now questions the motives behind his every action.

He's lost plenty of friends, associates and acquaintances who once basked in his presence but now prefer to keep him at arms length.

He's lost virtually all the goodwill he stockpiled as baseball's most passionate promoter and salesman.

He's probably lost any chance to have a plaque bearing his likeness grace a quaint building in Cooperstown, N.Y.

He's lost a huge chunk of his life having to earn a buck at things that weren't really close to his heart.

That's more than enough losing for one person to have to endure.

But there's one thing he hasn't lost. And he never will!

It's what defined him as a player and what helps sustain him to this day.

It's something that neither an overzealous media, a disingenuous Bud Selig or an unforgiving public can ever take from him.

And as long as he has it, he really can't be defeated. He may be bloodied but with it, he'll remain unbowed. No amount of ridicule or abuse can sink him as long as he has this something to fall back on.

And it's nothing that's all that complicated. Rather, it's remarkable in its' simplicity. But it's profound in its' impact and undeniable in the comfort it affords Rose.

Simply put, Pete Rose will never lose his love of baseball. And it's that love that helps him soldier on no matter what difficulties he may encounter.

It goes right to his core and in many ways provides the essence of what he is as a man and as a person.

And a love that deep and that unconditional can never fail you. People may cause you disappointment or turn on you but something that genuine will never let you down.

This reporter was given an object lesson in Rose's enduring love just recently. Baseball's hit king was appearing on a San Diego sports talk show and for the better part of 30 minutes, he rhapsodized and waxed eloquent about the sport he once symbolized.

It's amazing that even at 65 years of age and after all that's befallen him, Rose's enthusiasm, fascination and affection for the sport remains undiminished.

When he talks and reminisces about baseball, a true wonderment and passion overtakes him. He still sounds like that wide-eyed, firecracker of a rookie who in '64 took the game by storm with his all-out hustle and inexhaustible energy.

A master storyteller, Rose can thrill you when he relates some of the memorable moments he experienced. You literally get chills when he tells of how, as a young Red, he was awed to find himself occupying a locker between immortals Willie Mays and Hank Aaron at an All-Star game.

You can't help but sense the paternal-like pride he felt when he discusses having watched Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Joe Morgan undergo the metamorphosis from stellar teammates into bona fide legends.  

When Rose talks baseball, it's impossible not to listen. He's irresistible. He draws you in with his vast knowledge, his keen observations and his uncanny knack for breaking down the game in an entertaining and lively style.

When Rose speaks of the diamond, he does so with such a zest and gusto that it's contagious. He makes you feel like grabbing a bat and playing two.

Which leads to another point. It's absolutely obscene that baseball isn't using this amazing human resource in some capacity to grow and sell the game.

If Rose's betting was a sin, then preventing him from sharing his unparalleled knowledge is every bit as much a transgression. It's a crime of the highest degree and a damn waste.

At this moment, Rose should be involved with young players either as a coach, a minor league coordinator or as roving instructor.

If not that, then how about sending him into the inner city. There he could act as an emissary to rekindle the interest of adolescent blacks in a game that no longer captivates them.

Rose should be on the field sharing what he knows instead of being held prisoner in a sort of purgatory. He should be given the opportunity to give back to the game what he got out of it. He should be offered the chance to redeem himself.

But petty and small-minded men seem bent on making him pay indefinitely for his mistake. Murderers and rapists have done less penance than Rose. To Selig and his lackey followers, it seems laying bets is more egregious than taking a life or violating someone.

Look, no one can justify what Rose did or ignore the trust he betrayed. But 17 years is a more than adequate punishment. The guy has paid his debt and then some.

Now if Selig wants to continue to play the role of hard ass, then he can keep Pete out of the Hall of Fame and never allow him to manage. But that's where it needs to stop. All other avenues and jobs should be open to him and at any level including the major leagues. 

The haughty caretakers of the game need to let Rose loose from their suffocating choke hold. They've had the hammer down long enough. Keeping Rose in a perpetual state of limbo smacks of overkill. Enough of Pete's blood has been extracted! 

Rose is deserving of a second chance. Given a reprieve, he'd do whatever was asked of him in order to make amends. He should be permitted to share his love of the game with those who would benefit the most from his counsel.

What's more, this new, improved Rose would be the cleanest man in the sport. He wouldn't dare doing anything questionable. He simply couldn't get away with anything given the intense scrutiny he would be under. Pete would be like a Petri dish under a microscope. Rose couldn't even have an itch without someone knowing which finger he used to scratch it.

So let's hope that in the near future, Pete is able to put what he knows to good use. Wouldn't it be grand if the prodigal son was welcomed back and baseball had its most ardent lover back in the fold? It's a reunion that's been long overdo.

But until then, Rose must content himself with the fact that though the officers of the game have shunned him, the sport never did. 

Baseball loves Rose for what he gave on the field, for the purity of spirit he embodied. And Rose loves baseball for the countless thrills it provided as well as the many gifts it bestowed on him. It's a mutual feeling that runs deep.

If only we all could find such a love. A love that lasts through the good times and the bad. A love like no other!