[stevenash]

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are set to show up on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, and fans will soon find out whether drug allegations block the former stars from reaching baseball's shrine.


The 2013 ballot will be announced Wednesday.


Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling are certain to be among the other first-time eligibles. Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines are the top holdover candidates.


Longtime members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America will vote through next month. The much-awaited results will be announced Jan. 9, with players needing to be listed on 75 percent of the ballots to gain induction.


The upcoming election is certain to fuel the most polarizing Hall debate since career hits leader Pete Rose's betting problems put him on baseball's permanently ineligible list, barring him from the BBWAA ballot.


Bonds, Clemens and Sosa each posted some of the biggest numbers in the game's history, but all were tainted by accusations that they used performance-enhancing drugs.


Bonds is baseball's all-time home runs leader with 762 and won a record seven MVP awards. Clemens ranks ninth in career wins with 354 and took home a record seven Cy Young Awards. Sosa is eighth on the home run chart with 609.


Fans, players and Hall of Fame members have all chimed in about whether stars who supposedly juiced up during the Steroids Era should make it to Cooperstown.


Many of those opposed say drug cheats should never be afforded baseball's highest individual honors. Others on the opposite side claim the use of performance-enhancing drugs was pervasive in the 1980s and 1990s, and shouldn't disqualify candidates.


If recent voting for the Hall is any indication, the odds are solidly stacked against Bonds, Clemens and Sosa.


Mark McGwire is 10th on the career home run list with 583, but has never received even 24 percent in his six tries. Big Mac has admitted using steroids and human growth hormone.


Rafael Palmeiro is among only four players with 500 homers and 3,000 hits, yet has gotten a high of 12.6 percent in his two years on the ballot. Palmeiro drew a 10-day suspension in 2005 after a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, and said the result was due to a vitamin vial given to him by teammate Miguel Tejada.

[stevenash]

If you had a vote, would you vote any or none of them in?

Sosa was a cheater on so many levels, corked bats, steroids...........
Big Mac PED's. plus the only thing he excelled in was hitting for power.
Bonds? Maybe, but he was/is such a cok sucker I would think twice.

[DudleyDawson]

If Bonds, Clemens and Sosa are put on the ballot....then Pete Rose deserves to be on there too.

[stevenash]

If Bonds, Clemens and Sosa are put on the ballot....then Pete Rose deserves to be on there too.

Different circumstances

[CanuckG]

Pete Rose will never see the HOF unfortunately but neither should these guys

[DudleyDawson]

Different circumstances

I understand that just saying...

Not sure how MLB can even consider putting Bonds, Sosa or Clemens on there when they clearly cheated.

[Pabinator]

If Mcgwire isnt in, none of those other guys should be either.

[stevenash]

If Mcgwire isnt in, none of those other guys should be either.

He was only a .263 hitter.
I loved Mac as much as anybody, but he's no lock for the Hall if he didn't 'use'

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

I will never forget what a disgrace Sosa was when he pretended he couldn't speak English at the hearings.

[stevenash]

I will never forget what a disgrace Sosa was when he pretended he couldn't speak English at the hearings.

Corked bat incident was a disgrace as well.

[BuddyBear]

Sorry they are all in like it or not. Bonds is the best player in the history of MLB not named Babe Ruth. Pretty obvious he is in. If the HOF does not have these players then the HOF is not even relevant any longer.

[stevenash]

Sorry they are all in like it or not. Bonds is the best player in the history of MLB not named Babe Ruth.

Ty Cobb hit over .400 in three different full seasons.

[stevenash]

Make an asterisk wing for the steroid era in the Hall if you guys want these cheaters in.

[ACoochy]

Sorry they are all in like it or not. Bonds is the best player in the history of MLB not named Babe Ruth. Pretty obvious he is in. If the HOF does not have these players then the HOF is not even relevant any longer.

This.

So many other inductees would have been into PED's just the technology wasn't around to catch them back then.

HOF is a joke ran by out of touch old men who wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong unless it jumped out at them from a cheque.

[Big Bear]

Bonds and Clemens will get in.

[Big Bear]

Well said Buddy Bear.

[BuddyBear]

Ty Cobb hit over .400 in three different full seasons.

Let me tell you something. I was at the HOF last Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They showed on display the ball that Cy Young used to win his 500th game. It looked worse than a ball you find in your parent's garage that had been there for 15 years. There is a reason nobody hits .400 anymore and that is b/c the game is so much better than it has ever been. In other words, there is less variance among the players than there use to be.

As for Bonds, YES he is arrogant, a jerk, an probably a liar and cheat and who knows what else...BUT he is the best baseball player post WWII by a mile and the only player even remotely close is Albert Pujols.

[DudleyDawson]

Let me tell you something. I was at the HOF last Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They showed on display the ball that Cy Young used to win his 500th game. It looked worse than a ball you find in your parent's garage that had been there for 15 years. There is a reason nobody hits .400 anymore and that is b/c the game is so much better than it has ever been. In other words, there is less variance between the players.

As for Bonds, YES he is arrogant, a jerk, an probably a liar and cheat and who knows what else...BUT he is the best baseball player post WWII by a mile and the only player even remotely close is Albert Pujols.

But Bonds cheated to put up those insane numbers....when other guys didn't cheat and did things the right way.....other guys who had great years but were over-looked due to other players cheating. No way Bonds should be in the HOF. No way.

[BuddyBear]

But Bonds cheated to put up those insane numbers....when other guys didn't cheat and did things the right way.....other guys who had great years but were over-looked due to other players cheating. No way Bonds should be in the HOF. No way.

Whether he "cheated" or not is up for debate. As far as I remember, he was never suspended by baseball and the new drug laws were implemented after the fact. So in that sense, he never broke the rules of baseball. IMO, guy should get 100% of the HOF vote.

[Killer_Demo]

about time bonds get his due...not like he was the only one juicing he was just the one at the time gettin the heat.

[C-Gold]

I am interested in seeing what happens.

Barry Bonds was an awesome player. He probably was the best post WWII.

[gryfyn1]

Clemens and Bonds should be in, and they should be unanimous 1st ballot HOFer, how anyone can think about leaving out one the 5 best Postion players and one the top 5 Pitcher ever to play baseball out of the HOF is stunning,

[JohnnyBrooklyn]

Nope,none of them will get in.U cheat,U lose!!

[ttwarrior1]

last shot for dale murphy, not gonna make it. Comparing era's is dumb