Hi Peter: It's a well thought-out ballot except for the cop-out on the PED-users. They're nothing but Lance Armstrongs in baseball uniforms. If they were Olympians, they'd be stripped of their medals. I guess the "everyone's doing it" argument will work with you when your kids trot it out. Good luck with that. Tom Verducci's 10-year retrospective on steroid use in the game last spring shows what a lie these guys' careers were.  The BBWAA may not be qualified to judge morality but for better or worse it's been dumped in their (our) laps.  For me, these guys don't warrant "First Ballot" status if there is such a thing.  If only Will McDonough had lived to write about The Texas Con Man and the HoF ballot! Meanwhile, looking forward to seeing you & hearing Tito at the BBWAA Dinner and continuing to be one of those dinosaurs who shouldn't have a vote.  Mr. El Camino.

I totally disagree with the selections of Bonds and Clemens. Both of them blatantly and arrogantly defied the rules/laws/restrictions of the game and should not be rewarded for it. Just because we can't identify all the cheaters doesn't mean we should honor those we can.

The rational for Clemens and Bonds are the terrific careers they had before steroids.  That's what gets them in.  McGwire and Sosa - never.  Pre-steroid they were good but not near enough to rate consideration. 

Trammel and Raines are overdue.  If they had played in New York they would be in already.

The only argument I have with your logic is with comparing stats of PED era players with earlier players. For example you only discount 20 % ofBonds production to PEDs but he was only a 30 to 40 HRs before 76 HRs after. That is 80% to 90^ increase. I believe Bonds and Clemens deserve to be the HOF because they were great in what should have been their prime years, but their use of PEDs shows how the drugs distort the numbers. Bond's and Clemen's best years came in what should have been mediocre decline years. So I think it is unfair that you dismiss Dale Murphy, who won 2 MVP, but did not have longevity in great years but you then marvel at people like Piazza and Bagwell for having incredible numbers for a career but they juiced there whole career. In particular Bagwell who if you look at his minor league baseball card he is a beanpole and after he left baseball he lost 50 to 70 lbs of muscle. Both Piazza and Bagwell were early adopters of PEDs. I think the BBWA should come up with some type of computation to discount the affects of PEDs. Since the argument for voting for the PED users is everyone was doing it then just use this computation on all players in this era . I think it would be fairer because I hate when I hear that Piazza was the greatest hitting catcher when without the PEDs he would not be in that conversation. I agree with the logic that each baseball era had its own distinctions that makes it hard to do direct comparisons but the PED era completely distorts the numbers that until PEDs were held sacrosanct. It is what makes baseball different than football which has rampant PED use and no one really cares about records.

Totally disagree on Clemens and Bonds. Glad you're giving Schilling some love. You're right: Without Schill, the Red Sox still would be without a post-1918 title.

Clemens and Bonds. Moron and jerk. Liar and Big Head. Fine additions to the HOF! Making excuses for these two to be voted in is deplorable. Your vote should be disregarded. It has no basis in reality.

Voting for Clemens and Bonds should negate any brains you might have. Therefore, I will no longer read anything you write. Idiot!

Totally agree on Trammell. I know Fantasy is not Real Baseball, but back in the 80s he was always a top 5 pick pick because he was such an aberation among SSs.  No one else was even close.