Pete Rose/Associated Press file photo by Al Behrman

Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels is like any other manager in the big leagues in that he’ll sometimes dance around an issue for the good of his team. Scioscia on Monday afternoon did nothing of the kind when the subject of the newest information regarding Pete Rose was broached.

A report on ESPN.com detailed information in a notebook from 1989 that showed Rose allegedly bet on the Cincinnati Reds when he was their player-manager in 1986. When

Scioscia was asked if Rose belongs on the Hall of Fame ballot, he pulled no punches. Not one.

“Well, I think the one thing that’s different from a lot of the guys who, you know, I’ve heard the argument about PEDs and things that are kind of, I think, holding people now from being voted into the Hall of Fame,” Scioscia said prior to his team’s series-opener against the Houston Astros. “We’ve survived PEDs. This game will never survive gambling, will never.

“That rule is very clear. If there’s an illusion that anybody in this game is making bets on performance, whether it’s pro or con, baseball will just unravel. That’s why the penalties are very stiff and if all the allegations are true against Pete, that’s the price he has to pay.”

The same question was posed to Scioscia’s superstar centerfielder, Mike Trout, who didn’t want to touch it.

“I haven’t really even thought about it,” Trout said. “I don’t know all the details, so I can’t really answer that question.”