Whenever Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens join baseball’s hallowed hall — and they must — they shall forever remain suspects.
As they should. It was the choice they made, to last longer than nature intended, but few can deny that they were the hitter and pitcher of their time, possibly all-time.
So they will get my Hall of Fame vote again along with newbies Jim Thome and Chipper Jones, as well as holdovers Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez.
This is my last Hall of Fame ballot. (Did I just bury the lede?) It has been a happy duty for 24 years, always taken gladly and sincerely.