Recently I wrote about the unbelievable success Dan Noble was seeing as a driver at Northfield Park. At one point I made a parallel between Noble and Walter Case Jr., who similarly dominated the driver standings at Yonkers Raceway in the late 1990s. The comparison sparked another previous thought that went through my head a number of months ago.  Back in May 2025, Pete Rose, less than a year after his death, was finally removed from Major League Baseball's ineligible list. MLB made the decision that all former participants on the list would be reinstated upon their passing, thus removing 17 players from banishment. The move also opened up the door for Rose as well as other blacklisted stars of the past like "Shoeless" Joe Jackson to be eligible to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  A decision on whether Rose and others will finally join their contemporaries in the Hall of Fame will be made at a December 2027 meeting according to this release, which also included this reasoning on the decision: "In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served," Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote, referring to the rule that outlaws betting on baseball by league personnel. "Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list."  I've always taken a stance that time heals most wounds. Rose - by betting on baseball games - and Jackson - for being a part of the 1919 World Series fixing scandal - both harmed the sport and paid the price for their actions. I'd be in favor of both players being inducted in the HOF, though I wouldn't be opposed to some mention of why they were kept out for so long included on their plaque or messaging.  ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter The MLB situation got me to thinking about Case, who was basically blacklisted from harness racing from 2004 to 2020 with the exception of a few handful of drives in 2008 and 2017. He was finally able to get licensed and raced in Maine from 2021 to present, adding Plainridge Park in Massachusetts only last year, but he hasn't raced since June due to health concerns according to social media posts.  Case certainly had his issues on the track with removing his feet from the stirrups of the bike and off the track with substance abuse which led to the stabbing of his ex-wife. That should never be forgotten, but I have to wonder if there comes a point where enough time has passed that Case deserves a place in the Hall of Fame for what he accomplished on the track.  The record speaks for itself. Case's 11,525 career wins ranks him 13th all-time and there is no doubt that he'd be at 20,000 or more were it not for his demons. He won a number of stakes during his prime years, competed on multiple circuits and set many records.  In a recent Facebook post asking for opinions on the best driver of all time, over 500 people chimed in and Case was named on dozens of replies. That alone speaks volumes of his on-track ability.  So the question I raise is whether Case, who is now 64, will ever be recognized for his on-track excellence, whether during his lifetime or after his death?  Other than perhaps one handshake/hello and some texting/messaging conversations, I've had no contact with Case during my 30 years in the sport. My memories of him are as the most dominant half-mile-track driver in harness racing and someone who could awaken even the slowest horse.  Since his name hasn't been in the news and people who've had contact with him have relayed positive comments to me over the last few years, I'm assuming he's turned his life around and is doing the right thing. If that is true, shouldn't we be a society that at least forgives, even if we don't forget? Shouldn't we separate the man himself from his achievements?  Discussing the situation with another member of the industry, they brought up whether I would feel the same way if the stabbing resulted in death. It's an interesting IF to add to the equation, and I don't have the answer other than to say that we don't deal in what could've happened but what did happen.  I write all of the above with a confident belief that Case will never make it into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Yet, I can't help but feel the need to express that it is a shame to ignore his accomplishments as they are part of the sport's history.