Baseball - The Rise And Fall Of Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro is one of the four players in the history of Major League Baseball to have over 3,000 hits and 500 homeruns. He is 15th overall in RBIs with 1,834 and 10th all time with total bases standing at 5,385.

When it comes to Palmeiro, what people remember is not his achievements but him testing positive for steroids by MLB.
In May 2005, Palmeiro tested positive for Stanozolol. This is an extremely powerful steroid and the chances that Palmeiro took it in a dietary supplement without knowing are extremely slim. After Palmeiro tested positive, there was a secret arbitration in June to decide whether he was guilty. During this time only few members of MLB and Players Union were aware of Palmeiro testing positive. It appears that MLB wanted to ensure that Palmeiro hit his 500th homerun and his 3000th hit before disclosing the news.
The opponents of performance enhancing drug use are screaming themselves silly saying that Palmeiro should not be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame. However, there are others who support Palmeiro’s induction into the Hall but do not support usage of performance enhancing drugs.
These supports argue that Palmeiro should be allowed into the Hall for the numbers he has put up during the course of his professional career. They also point out that Palmeiro was not banned from baseball and nor was be debarred from baseball related activities. The only punishment Palmeiro received was a 10 day suspension for breaking the rules.
If MLB decides not to induct Palmeiro into the Hall of Fame, then it needs to think this over real hard. Players for years have used spitballs, vasoline balls, pine tar and many other things and substance to get an edge over the opposing team. Many players who indulged in these activities are currently in the Hall. So, if MLB thinks that Palmeiro is a cheater, they should be consequent in their decision and not ban players from the Hall selectively.