I think what he did was pretty egregious, but I also believe that this was a small fraction of the entire equation and did not define his contribution to the game overall. I believe that he AND Shoeless Joe should be inducted and that both have paid their penance. That doesn’t mean they are forgiven, but that they served their sentence and life can move on. The steroid bunch should be treated the same. Likely, several steroid users are already in. The most notorious are not but likely should eventually be inducted. They played in an era where this was common and everyone looked the other way. The rules got bent for a while and were then corrected. They were still incredible players. It would have been better if it never happened, but it did. MLB needs to accept their role in allowing it for many years. Like a parent who allows bad behavior for years and then suddenly cracks down and goes ballistic. The players played in the environment that was allowed. Everyone knew it and looked the other way…until they suddenly didn’t. I’d say 20-25 years of limbo would be enough punishment before they start considering people like Clemens or Bonds. I feel certain that many who were just as guilty but didn’t get swept up in the notoriety have already gotten in.
