NEW YORK - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's negotiations with Pete Rose are "preposterous," and reinstating the banned baseball star would be a mistake, former commissioner Fay Vincent said.

Vincent, who was deputy commissioner in 1989 when baseball banished Rose for gambling, said Selig is trying to boost his popularity by discussing an end to the ban, which would make Rose eligible for the Hall of Fame. Vincent said the move would be hailed by many fans, especially in Cincinnati, where Rose played most of his career.

"Bud doesn't want to go to Cincinnati in the spring and be ripped and booed," Vincent said in an interview. "He'd like to go there with Pete and be a big hero. I think that would be a big mistake."

ESPN reported that Selig met with Rose two weeks ago and that representatives for both sides have since exchanged proposals. To get the ban lifted, the network said, Rose would have to admit for the first time that he bet on baseball while he was the Reds' manager from 1984 to '89.

John Dowd, the attorney who led baseball's investigation, told the New York Post that Rose probably bet against the Reds while he was managing the team. Dowd's final report said Rose bet on baseball games but didn't include any evidence that he bet on the Reds.

Vincent said Dowd never mentioned any evidence that Rose bet against the Reds, adding that Rose doesn't deserve to get back in the game even if he didn't bet against them.

Vincent, who became commissioner shortly after Rose was banned when A. Bartlett Giamatti died of a heart attack, said just betting on baseball was sufficient grounds to ban Rose.

"When you have money at stake, the game is corrupted," Vincent said.

Vincent said Rose shouldn't be allowed back in the game until he admits he bet on baseball, proves that he's overcome his gambling problem and shows remorse for the damage he has caused.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.