Allred,

Yes, that was Dred Scott and don't forget Plessy vs. Ferguson. I would actually compare it more to the spitball. Do we think less of the Deadball era pitchers that used the spitball because it was made illegal in 1920? In terms of gambling, you simply cannot remove someone's plaque for something that wasn't illegal when they did it. Now certainly, if somone is up for enshrinement now that gambled before 1920 you can use it against him as a voter, but as a rule you cannot ban someone unless they are on baseball's banned list.

Now, the only argument for Rose is the fact that they made the rule about baseball's banned list after he was banned with him (and Joe Jackson) specifically in mind. However, John McGraw really doesn't belong in this discussion.
I'm down with OBP (yeah you know me).