Are Hall of Fame voters finally accepting the Steroid Era? ‘Only God knows’

The Asterisk Era has officially arrived.

Now what?

Well, we got a little glimpse into it Thursday, when Jeff Bagwell (86.2 percent), Tim Raines (86.0) and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez (76.0) were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. And they all have something in common.

All three are players whose illustrious careers occurred during what will go down in history as the Steroid Era – considered to have been from sometime in the 1980s to sometime in the 2000s.

The elections of Bagwell and Rodriguez signaled the voters’ slow, step-by-step willingness to give their tallies to players who have been connected to one of baseball’s biggest controversies in history.

While both Bagwell and Rodriguez have denied using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) during their careers despite speculation, they – and others – are sure to have a proverbial asterisk accompanying their names. (Don’t worry, “Rock” Raines did only cocaine.)

If they truly didn’t do PEDs – which Bagwell has vigorously denied and Rodriguez at one time danced around, saying “Only God knows” during a 2009 interview before changing his tune back to a clear denial – it’s unfair that they are associated with the likes of Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez, larger-than-life figures who denied PED use for a long time before coming clean.

However, life isn’t always fair.

The door seemed to creak open when Mike Piazza – another player who has been connected to PED rumors but has denied allegations – was inducted alongside the ever-clean Ken Griffey Jr. last year.

The elections of Bagwell and Rodriguez have nudged the proverbial door even further. And there’s signs that the passageway may not be too far from being completely busted open.

Pitching great Roger Clemens and all-time home run leader Barry Bonds – both who have denied PED use claims despite strong proof they are hiding something and appear as if they will take it to the grave if they did – went from 45.2 percent to 54.1 and 44.3 to 53.8, respectively, in this year’s voting.

Bagwell got in during his seventh year on the ballot, while both Clemens and Bonds were on their fifth in 2017.

Something tells me they aren’t far from getting in, and I’m completely in favor of it.

One of the most overused – and perhaps corny – phrases in recent time might actually be the most appropriate in this situation.

“Don’t hate the player; hate the game.”

The use of steroids and HGH – and whatever other creams and oils the guys concocted to use – was allowed and ignored in baseball for a long time.

And while Major League Baseball was extremely tardy in getting the situation under control, it appears the game is a whole lot cleaner these days.

However, it leaves many players – including legends who are sitting idly on Hall of Fame ballots – in limbo.

That seems nearly as unfair as them legally using PEDs to recover from injuries quicker or to gain a competitive advantage, which is up for debate.

While I can’t determine whether PED use inflated guys’ numbers – or their baseball cap size, in Bonds’ case – I do believe that these guys had to be great baseball players first and foremost. Therefore, guys like Clemens, Bonds and A-Rod – among others – belong in the Hall of Fame.

With some of the fringe guys, perhaps the speculation is enough to keep them out. But the legends – who would have been first-ballot entries otherwise – belong in.

Baseball is a game that has been chronicled throughout history via eras, and we know which one these guys played in. So label them just that, “the Steroid Era Hall of Famers.”

Leave it to the public to judge whether a guy was clean or not and whether it mattered that much in the long run. You can simply Google pictures of Mark McGwire steroids before and after to see a clear difference, whereas pictures of Ken Griffey Jr. were pretty consistent his whole career.

Swing the door all the way open.

It’s time to forgive, but not forget.

On tap

The Coastal Carolina men’s basketball team has a pair of games this week as it plays at Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. Monday and hosts Texas State at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. … The CCU women’s basketball squad has two home games this week as it plays Texas-Arlington at 7 p.m. Thursday and Texas State at 1 p.m. Saturday. … Coastal’s men’s tennis team opens the spring portion of its scheduled with a home match against USC Upstate at 2 p.m. Friday and then hosts Radford at noon Sunday. … The CCU women’s tennis team hosts USC Upstate at 11 a.m. Saturday. … The Clemson men’s basketball team has one game this week as it plays at Pittsburgh at noon Saturday. … The South Carolina men’s basketball team has two games this week as it hosts Auburn at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and plays at Missouri at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. … In tennis, the Australian Open continues play nightly with the women’s final to be played Saturday (3 a.m. ET) and the men’s finale scheduled for Sunday (3 a.m. ET). … The NFL’s Pro Bowl is set to be played at 8 p.m. Sunday (ESPN). … The PGA Tour heads to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open from Thursday through Sunday.

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Are Hall of Fame voters finally accepting the Steroid Era? ‘Only God knows’."