Just say no to steroids cheaters on Hall of Fame ballot

November 28, 2006

My first Hall of Fame ballot is headed my way, a reward for a decade of covering baseball and holding the prestigious Baseball Writers Association of America card. In Houston, we're a dying breed because not many folks cover baseball for a decade and the Houston Chronicle is the only newspaper in the area that actually covers the local baseball team for the required amount of games a year to be eligible for BBWAA status.

Heck, next year there will be even fewer BBWAA members in the Houston chapter because a recent reading of the organization bylaws made it clear some of the folks with cards actually don't deserve them because they don't cover enough games for their small newspapers.

Whatever the case, this will be an interesting year. It will be an honor to vote for Cal Ripken, Jr., and Tony Gwynn. But we must also answer the question regarding the steroids era. Does Mark McGwire belong in the Hall? I'll never vote for him because I don't believe he played the game clean.

Should McGwire be voted into the Hall? Should he just be judged against the players of his era without considering the steroids question?

Is it fair to punish McGwire when we all suspect other players of being on the juice? Let's not fool ourselves either. As long as Human Growth Hormone isn't tested for under baseball's current drug program, there will be more cheaters out there than you'd want to know about. When names come up in federal investigations, guys will deny all the way until they get in court and finally have to tell the truth. Fans must decide if they believe some of their heroes.

Because we have no proof, we cannot name guys we suspect of being cheaters. For that reason, the Hall of Fame ballot is the only chance voters have of declaring their doubts.