It’s not easy filling out a HOF ballot

Some within the Baseball Writers’ Association of America have grown disenchanted with the Hall of Fame voting process. They are anguished by ballots including players with documented (or rumored) performance-enhancing drug use. They feel embittered by the Hall’s restrictions, including a maximum of 10 votes per ballot and 10 years of consideration per player.

I am not one of those people.

I love voting for the Hall of Fame. I relish the rigor of it, along with the inevitable criticism that follows. If anything, the ethical dilemmas make the experience more worthwhile. As judgments become more nuanced and complex, I’m honored to be part of an organization that wields profound influence on the way baseball history is remembered in Cooperstown.

With that, here’s the second ballot of my tenure as a Hall of Fame voter:

Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez, Curt Schilling.

Some context on my decisions:

• First, I’ll state my position on performance-enhancing drugs: I draw a sharp line at the 2005 season, when Major League Baseball began suspending players for PED use. To me, Rafael Palmeiro (no longer on the ballot), Manny Ramirez (eligible for the first time), Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun have disqualified themselves from consideration.

There is substantial evidence that Bonds and Clemens used PEDs. Steroid suspicion has followed Bagwell and Rodriguez. But rather than …

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