by Darren Rueb

Created on: October 05, 2010

Based on numbers alone, Barry Bonds is without a doubt a Hall of Famer. No questions asked when just presented the stats. Where the argument starts though is with performance enhancing drugs.

What it comes down to is whether you believe one should be in the Hall of Fame because of what they did on the field. There is no way to tell everybody who took performance enhancing drugs. Also, you can't just go after players that you don't like.

Think back on the home run chase in 1998. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa helped to bring baseball back into popularity. How did MLB not know these guys were taking something? Better question is why did they ignore it. Why do they care so much now but didn't before. Whatever happened on the field can't be erased. If they were allowed to play, their records should stand. Otherwise don't let them play in the first place. You can't just erase stats you don't like and keep stats you do.

Remember when people started thinking McGwire took something illegal they were saying that Sosa was the real home run king. Look how that turned out. Sosa was just as guilty as McGwire.

Same thing relates to Barry Bonds. Bonds was a great player all through his career. He was always an all-around phenom. He was a more complete player than everyone even before his alleged drug use. These stats and talent can't be erased.

Bonds hit all these home runs. He did it, steroids didn't. You could load up someone, even someone with major league talent, with steroids and they wouldn't hit all these home runs. Think about it, nobody else hit as many home runs as Bonds and surely he wasn't the only player taking drugs.

A final argument on this is that if Bonds doesn't get in then no other player even thought to be taking drugs should get in the Hall of Fame. Alex Rodriguez, who admitted drug use, should definitely not get in. A-Rod is similar to Bonds in that they were Hall of Famers based solely on natural abilities. They would have breezed to the Hall of Fame without steroids. Steroids in a way may have even held them back. Injuries happened and they weren't the all-around great players they were before. They became more one dimensional.

Bonds is an interesting case because most steroid users won't be allowed in the Hall. However, with Bonds there should be an exception because he was so much better than everybody else, with or without steroids. If he's not allowed in, how can you induct anybody else who there is even a question about? Also, you don't want the Hall being filled with mediocre players who only get in because they are known not to have taken steroids. That would compromise the Hall more than letting Bonds in would.

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