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Nov 27, 8:52 PM EST
Bonds, Clemens, Sosa set to show up on Hall ballot
By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are set to show up on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, and fans will soon find out whether drug allegations block the former stars from reaching baseball's shrine.
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Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling are certain to be among the other first-time eligibles. Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines are the top holdover candidates.
Longtime members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America will vote through next month. The much-awaited results will be announced Jan. 9, with players needing to be listed on 75 percent of the ballots to gain induction.
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Bonds, Clemens and Sosa each posted some of the biggest numbers in the game's history, but all were tainted by accusations that they used performance-enhancing drugs.
They would not be on my list for the Baseball Hall of Fame. They did something to get personal glory, to best other players who did not break any rules. Then some of them lied about it under oath before the Congress of the United States to boot.
They got the big bucks salaries. Fine. Maybe they deserved them for bringing the fans into the ballpark and driving up the prices on the media contracts, even if they did so by violating the rules.
But I would not glorify them, too. They definitely did not earn that. And glorifying baseball players and the game is the only thing that the Baseball Hall of Fame is about.
I realize this somewhat goes against the social value of "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." However, they are not going to be tried in a court of law. And being left out of the Baseball Hall of Fame is being sent to prison or given a death sentence, either. So, it's something of a false equivalency.
Pete Rose got banned permanently. How would doing anything but the same to them be fair?
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