Last year, we did our first ever debate on Notinhalloffame.com where we tackled the Hall of Fame merit of twenty-four men who are on the Hall of Fame ballot, in what was in our opinion the most loaded ballot in our lifetime.

Since it was so much fun last time, we thought we would do it again!

One thing that has not changed is the number.  We will again debate twenty-four men who are on the ballot.

As we gear up for the 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting and announcements, the overriding question is: Have we returned to normal?

To put that into perspective, how's this for abnormal? In 2013, with a ballot overstuffed with Hall of Fame-caliber candidates (I counted 14), not one candidate was elected to the Hall. Adding to the debacle was the first appearance on a Hall of Fame ballot by Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both of whom brought the bubbling issue of players suspected or confirmed of having used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to an apoplectic, moralistic boil.

We talk about Roger Clemens here a lot don’t we?

Let’s do it again!

Recently, we discussed Clemens and the Baseball Hall of Fame and in a recent interview with 98.5, the Sports Hub in Boston had this to say:

While the Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot for this year was already known, it is worth noting that the names on the ballot have been made official and have been sent out to prospective voters.

Let’s go through the ballot and take a quick look shall we?

The vote for the candidates on the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is without a doubt historical because of two salient and unavoidable facts: One is that this year's ballot is overstuffed with potential Hall of Fame candidates—presenting an even bigger logjam to entrance to the Hall—and the other is that this year's vote is an inescapable referendum on the stance toward the "Steroids Era" as even more players active during the period of the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s implicated with performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are newly eligible.

Note: Part 1 of this two-part series goes into detail—considerable detail—to examine both the overstuffed ballot and, more comprehensively, the atmosphere of moral dudgeon surrounding the suspected and admitted usage of PEDs by players on previous ballots and especially by players eligible for the Hall for the first time this year. If you want only to read the players' evaluations, skip to Part 2.

Couldn’t we just say, " Look at the previous Barry Bonds entry and say ‘Ditto”? Seriously, the parallels are too great to ignore.

Like Bonds, Clemens may have had a Hall of Fame career before he allegedly took PEDs, and like Bonds, he dominated the steroid era as he did the decade before. He has the career statistics (353 wins and 4,672 strikeouts), the dominating seasons (seven Cy Youngs and an MVP), and two World Series Rings. “Rocket” Roger Clemens is arguably the best Pitcher in the past forty years.

None of this may matter. A solid percentage of his accomplishments took place under the shroud of steroids. Clemens was never known as the nicest baseball player (as Mike Piazza can attest to), but his post-career handling of scandals has made him even less likable than the surly Bonds.   We have a feeling that Roger Clemens will forever go down in history as the Pitcher with the most Wins (and Strikeouts & Cy Youngs) who is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His only chance (like many others) will lie in how the Steroids Era is perceived.

As it stands, Clemens is in the same abyss as Bonds, having failed to make the regular ballot and been rejected by the Veterans Committee.

Should Roger Clemens be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! Maybe, but others deserve it first. Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. No opinion. No way!

Processing....

Definitely put him in! - 57%

Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 3.6%

Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 2.7%

No opinion. - 0.9%

No way! - 35.9%