Dear Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and its Voters,

Since former player Ken Caminiti stated in 1994 that over half baseball's plaeyrs were using steroids, HGH, or other performance enhancing drugs, it has slowly leaked out through investigative reporting, testing, or player's admission that Caminiti may have been right in his estimation.  I didn't believe Caminiti at the time.  Surely, there couldn't be that many bad guys in the game I grew up watching and playing.  And loving.

Steroids have ruined the fun in this prestigous game known as baseball.  I used to marvel at the level of talent I saw from Barry Bonds and wouldn't dare get up to go to the bathroom when Mark McGuire came up to bat.   I jumped on the Red Sox bandwagon and cheered gleefully in 2004 when they came back from a 3-0 series defecit to down the Yankees in 7 games.  I now learn that that team's top two players, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were cheating all the while.  When Bonds became the game's all time home run king, I was embarrassed to be a baseball fan, and embarrassed that I once rooted for him.  "At least," I thought, "Alex Rodriguez is on pace to break the record, and the Home Run King will once again be a clean player."  Turns out A-Rod is a cheater too.

I remember when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's Iron Man record.  I watched him parade around the warning track at Camden Yards shaking hands with the fans.  It brought a tear to my youthful eye.  God help me if I ever find out Ol' Cal cheated.

Major League Baseball players have become a disgrace.  It makes me wonder, Are there any All-Star players who didn't enhance their performances illegally? 

The one pristine (we think) place left in baseball is located in Cooperstown, New York.  As far as I know, there aren't any players in the Hall of Fame who took drugs to enhance their performance.  What do you say we keep it this way?  While it's true that the Fame's walls contain the likes of Gaylord Perry and other "ball doctors" and cheaters, it is also true that two wrongs don't make a right.  In hindsight, it was not a good idea to put Perry into the Hall of Fame.  Putting Bonds in because there are already cheaters there doesn't correct for an earlier mistake, and just because voters had it wrong in the 1970's and 80's, doesn't mean they should be forced to continue to be wrong from here forth. 

There are players such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb in the HOF who never played against black or Latin players, so presumably, their career stats are inflated by playing against inferior competition.  They had no control over that.  Today's players made conscious decisions to put steroids into their body.  They deny it.  Don't believe them.

Even though MLB had no testing policy prior to 2004, in 1990 the federal govornment passed legislation that made possession of steroids without a prescription a punishable crime in all 50 states.  Therefore, every single one of baseball's juicers committed a felony.  Let's not poison a good thing.

Just because so many players cheated, doesn't mean we can't punish them all, even if it means punishing a few that were innocent.  Any player connected to steroids or even suspected of taking them should be left off the ballot.  It might turn out that 10 or 20 players who were totally clean end up never getting admission.  It would be a disgrace, yes, but it's for the greater good for the greater number.  If even one steroid cheat is inducted, it spites every single Hall of Famer going back to the beginning who never cheated.  Think of a heroic soldier returning from Iraq and wearing his Medal of Honor.  How would he feel if Walmart sold them for $9.99 and everybody walked around wearing them?  The Hall of Fame loses its greatness in exclussivity by becoming more inclusive.  I don't want that to happen, neither should you.

It's also true that some players, Bonds included, have never actually failed a drug test.  So what?  There is enough analogical evidence that these players were guilty anyway, and there is precedence in baseball to punish players even in spite of "proven" innocence.  The first commisioner of baeball, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, banned all 8 members of the "Chicago Black Sox" even though they were all acquitted of charges by the judicial system.    Landis ruled baseball with tough love, Bud Selig should step up and do the same.