ROSE APPEALS TO BASEBALL’S HALL TO RESTORE ELIGIBILITY

columbus, ohio» Pete Rose is appealing directly to baseball’s Hall of Fame to restore his eligibility, arguing the lifetime ban he agreed to in 1989 was never intended to keep him out of Cooperstown.

A seven-page letter to Hall president Jeff Idelson on Tuesday makes the case that the settlement agreement reached by Rose and then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti didn’t include a provision that he be ineligible for election to the Hall of Fame.

“At the time Pete agreed to the settlement, the consequences of being placed on the ineligible list were clear and specific — and did not include a Hall of Fame prohibition,” according to the letter, signed by Rose’s longtime attorney Raymond C. Genco and attorney Mark Rosenbaum.

The Hall of Fame changed its bylaws two years after Rose’s banishment to make permanently banned players ineligible for the Hall, which shut out the career hits leader as long as he remained barred from baseball.

New baseball commissioner Rob Manfred in December denied the 75-year-old Rose’s latest petition for reinstatement, but Genco said Manfred “opened the door” by also stating that it wasn’t Manfred’s responsibility to determine whether Rose should be eligible for the Hall.

Petitioning the Hall to change the rule, Genco said, was the next logical step.

Surgery for Solo.

Suspended U.S. national team goalkeeper Hope Solo said she had shoulder replacement surgery.

Solo posted post-surgery photos of herself on her social media accounts. She had the procedure at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle on Monday.

On the posts, she said he had been dealing with a right shoulder injury for “a long time.”

Solo had surgery on the same shoulder in 2011.

Solo was suspended for six months and her contract with U.S. Soccer was terminated last month following the Rio Olympics, where she drew criticism for calling the Sweden national team a “bunch of cowards” for their defensive style of play.

B des moines, iowa» Former Iowa All-America quarterback Randy Duncan died after a lengthy fight with cancer at 79.

Duncan was a two-time all-Big Ten selection, winning the Walter Camp Trophy as the nation’s player of the year in 1958. Duncan capped his career by helping the Hawkeyes beat Washington 38-12 in the 1959 Rose Bowl. He was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Duncan, who was 15-2-2 in two years as a starter, is also one of just nine former Iowa players inducted into the Kinnick Stadium Ring of Honor.

Duncan was the first pick in the 1959 NFL draft. But Duncan spurned the Green Bay Packers for the CFL, retiring in 1961 to pursue a law degree.

Iowa QB legend dies Lynx off to good start.

Maya Moore scored 31 points, including 15 in the second quarter, as the Minnesota Lynx opened its WNBA title defense with a 113-95 win over the Phoenix Mercury in the first game of the bestof-five league semifinals.

Diana Taurasi scored 25 points for the Mercury, who won the matchup between the two teams in 2014 on the way to their own championship.

Tie boosts Toronto FC.

Toronto FC regained the Eastern Conference lead with a 0-0 draw with Orlando City.

• Lloyd Sam opened the scoring in the 71st minute, Lamar Neagle had a late goal and assist, and D.C. United beat the Columbus Crew 3-0.

• Matteo Mancosu set up first-half goals from Dominic Oduro and Ignacio Piatti and Montreal beat San Jose to snap a four-game winless streak.

Footnote.

The New Jersey Devils signed veteran defenseman Kyle Quincey to a $1.25 million contract for the upcoming season.