Who To Vote For?

The 2011 Hall of Fame voting ended when the ball dropped at midnight. With the new players added to this year's ballot, another debate begins about who should be allowed in the halls of Cooperstown. If I have a vote, Rafael Palmeiro is on my ballot.

3020 hits, 569 HR, 1855 RBI

The "Steroid-Era" now lets voters play judge and jury when it comes to some of the greatest baseball players' legacy. Unfortunately, some of the best players won't get in based on a culture Major League baseball provided, and pretty much encouraged.

Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Bagwell are all on the ballot and none of them are getting the votes any time soon. Those three, one admitted user, one caught with syringes and one suspected user, don't have the same on-field credentials as Palmeiro, however.

The case against Palmeiro is his failed drug test in 2005 five months after telling Congress, "Let me start by saying this: I have never used steroids. Period." Based on that alone many will feel he doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame. He played the majority of his career in Texas and Baltimore, two organizations that produced many "steroid users," according to reports, admissions and tests. The failed test, which he still defends as a "tainted B12 shot," was in 2005. Does that mean he used steroids his entire career? Perhaps, but there's not proof of that.

The case for his induction, based on what he did on the field, is even stronger. The numbers speak for themselves. One of only four players (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray) in history with 500 home runs and 3000 hits. He's tied for sixth all-time in extra base hits (1192). His 1855 RBI is 15th all-time, his 569 home runs is 12th. A .288 career hitter with more walks than strikeouts over 20 seasons and 2831 games. The numbers say first-ballot Hall of Famer.

I'd vote for him. Period.

Are those numbers "inflated" by steroid use? Probably. But the failed test came in his last year not the heart of his career. It didn't come in the 90s because no one was tested at that time. My point on all "steroid users" is this: The league didn't care prior to 2004. Its head was buried in the sand on steroid use. Why are they trying to punish people 10-15 years after the fact? And the only ones getting punished and ostracized are the BEST players. The players who carried the league for 10-20 years during some tough times. Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Palmeiro.

It's MLB grasping at straws and trying to cover its own backside. The writers and voters feel "cheated" and "lied to," like they cared when home runs were flying out of the park and people were actually interested in the league. These voters feel like if they don't vote for them they're doing people a favor. I'm tired of people talking about "integrity" and "character." This isn't the Morality Baseball League. For my vote, if you were a Hall of Fame player on the field with Hall of Fame numbers, you go into the Hall of Fame. Period.