Another Hall of Fame balloting season is upon us, and the topic of the day should not be who the first ballot selections going to be. No, the question should be how is it that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens still find themselves on the outside looking in.

Forget about the legal troubles and PED issues that Clemens has had. Forget about the notion that Bonds might have used PEDs. Considering some of the more recent selections to Cooperstown, baseball’s grudge against the steroid era should end, and it should end now.

If any fan out there thinks that the Hall of Fame is completely devoid of PED users, they simply don’t understand what they are talking about. Take your pick from players that used “greenies” or the ones that used HGH. So there it is, plain and simple. There are PED users enshrined in Cooperstown already, like it or not. The fact of the matter is that Bonds and Clemens are two of the very best that have ever played this game. Quite frankly, it’s a crime against baseball that they are still seeking entry on their sixth attempt.

What’s more is there’s little numerical hope for them to get in this year. Bonds finished last year’s HOF voting with 53.8 percent of the vote. For Clemens, he finished with 54.1 percent of the vote. This is a total joke. If anyone out there thinks that these players were some type of anomaly, they are fooling only themselves. PEDs were rampant in those years prior to testing, make no mistake about it.

Put Bonds in already

Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players that has ever played the game of baseball. No matter what anyone thinks of him, he deserves a plaque in Cooperstown. For the sake of making ourselves laugh, let’s look at his career.

First, Bonds’ WAR (162.4), places him in sole possession of first place all-time among left fielders. The only other left fielders aside from Bonds that ever crested 100 in WAR are Rickey Henderson and Ted Williams. Now you attribute that to steroids if you want to, but Bonds was well on his way to Cooperstown before any of the speculation even began.

If WAR isn’t a good enough measure, then try on his record seven NL MVP awards. Or how about his 14 All-Star appearances. Or his eight gold gloves. How about his 12 silver sluggers? Or, his two batting titles. Or, his being named MLB’s Player of the Year three times. Does that sway you yet? Again, if anyone wants to attribute that output to steroids alone, they are crazy. There’s no getting around it.

The powers that be in the league office, for years, turned a blind eye to PED use among its players. PEDs were good enough to prop up the game after the strike of 1994 that threatened to gut fan support. It’s in this vain that some of the all-time greats, like Bonds, should be allowed to ascend to their rightful place among their peers.

What’s sickening though, is most likely this year is going to be no different than the previous five. Bonds won’t be getting in, and the BBWA has a lot to answer for in this regard. It seems they are more interested in prolonging a “moral” controversy, dven if it means being hypocritical (see 2017 HOF voting).

Make way for Clemens

Here’s the deal with Clemens. He’s the greatest starting pitcher of the modern era, and it’s not even close. Clemens’ career WAR (140.3) is good enough for third all-time among starting pitchers. He sits behind only Cy Young (168.5) and Walter Johnson (165.6) respectively. That’s pretty exclusive company no matter what way you slice it. Going further, Clemens is one of only four starting pitchers in recent memory to record over 100 wins above replacement. The others being Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson.

Like Bonds, Clemens has had to add on another room to his mansion just for all the league honors he’s won. Clemens was an AL MVP, a seven-time Cy Young winner, a seven-time ERA champion and an 11-time All-Star. Oh, and then there’s the two pitching triple crowns he won for leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Again, like Bonds, people want to believe his numbers were only possible because of steroid use, but they’re flat out nuts.

We all know about the allegations outside of the sport that have surrounded Clemens at various points. But the last time I checked, the HOF isn’t about how good of a person you are, it’s about how good of a ballplayer you are. As far as starting pitchers go, none of us have seen one more dominant. That’s just a fact. Nolan Ryan might be baseball’s strikeout king, but Clemens was a superior starting pitcher.

If the BBWA wants to do something productive, maybe it’s time they call off the grudge against both Bonds and Clemens.

Feature image from CBS News

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