When the first wave of purported and admitted steroids users began appearing on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot a decade ago, voters rejected them overwhelmingly, no matter their credentials. Drug-tainted sluggers Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro garnered only paltry support, eventually falling off the ballot, while Sammy Sosa could soon meet the same fate. All three boast career statistics that have historically merited induction into the Cooperstown, N.Y., museum.
But when results from this year's Hall of Fame balloting are announced Wednesday, a far different picture is expected to emerge, one that reflects the voting body's rapidly loosening attitudes toward performance-enhancing drug use.