Clemens, Bonds officially on HOF ballot

Bonds & Clemens together forever in eternity/Yahoo Sports

It's official, baseball fans! Big Head (Barry Bonds) and Batrage (Roger Clemens), along with No Speaka da English (Sammy Sosa) are on the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. How much better will Bonds and Clemens do than Mark McGwire?

Should they be in?

My stance, which evolved but has reached its current position several years ago is a qualified yes.

The qualifications?

Apology and admission of “guilt” from the player concerned.

Admission of “guilt” from Commissioner Bud Selig.

Bonds and Clemens both were HOFers in pre-roiding days. Sosa? Not so sure. Take away the roids and he’s below 500 HRs, below 1,500 RBIs, below .500 slugging and a couple of other things. Ignore the ESPN fluffery for Sosa.

(Big Mac? Definitely not, and I’m a lifelong Cards fan.)

And, that’s the other point. One has to do some reasonable “readjustment” of the career numbers of known or highly-suspected roiders (or PEDers of other drugs like HGH) versus “the field.”

Oh, and while we’re at it? Please, HOF voters, also read some sabermetrics and do NOT induct Jack Morris.

But do elect Jeff Bagwell. And Craig Biggio. And, I’d be OK with Tim Raines. But not Edgar Martinez. And, I’m unsure about Curt Schilling.

Heck, for that matter, given how late in his career his own peak was … maybe Schilling was a roider. He strikes me a bit like the stereotypical homophobe who’s actually “projecting.”

Update, Dec. 1: Per a survey of some voters, it looks like none of the Big 3 are getting in. 

Update, Dec. 4: Mr. Dodger Blue, Tommy Lasorda, says keep them out. Barry Larkin (Dec. 6) agrees with Lasorda.

And, click the  "MLB Hall of Fame" tag for more on other candidates on this year's ballot and my thoughts.