I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment of the Palmeiro situation. Until proven guilty, we must give the benefit of the doubt to the others under suspicion. Regarding Raffy, he has disgraced himself, his family, and the game of baseball. Pinocchio has more credibility.
-- Armando, San Francisco (2:36 p.m.)

I think you are wrong saying his reputation, his integrity as a man and his place in Cooperstown are long gone. You just sound like a fool in general when you take such a hard stance. You are just one guy with an opnion. The fans are so much more understanding then that. Most people know what it's like to lie to cover up a huge mistake. Most people know what it's like to mess up in some horribly pathetic way. To say his integrity as a man is long gone just suggests you have a few skeletons in your closet that you a very afraid will ever see the light of day. Typical moron journalist.
-- Ken, Framingham, Mass. (2:41 p.m.)

The Palmeiro story is sickening. Not that he was caught. Not that he took steroids. As a fan, I am furious for being played for a fool for so long. When Palmero denies his intentional use, he is directly calling me an intellectual midget. Shame on you. Go retire with Barry. Tell me the truth and I forgive anyone.
-- Chris Hall, Albany, N.Y. (2:46 p.m.)

Rafael Palmeiro and all other players found guilty of taking steroids should have all their stats wiped out and start brand new. That's the way it should be handled. He should not be credited with 3000 hits and he should not be in the hall of fame. Plain and simple.
-- Tony Boniferro, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. (2:51 p.m.)

The Hall of Fame should now enter into its charter that no one suspended for performance-enhancing drugs should ever be allowed to buy a ticket, much less be elected to the Hall. Maybe it was his other perfomance-enhancing drug that he took. You know, the little blue pill? Bye Bye Raffy, your reputation is now cemented.
-- John Cahill, Selden, N.Y. (2:56 p.m.)

He should take his "stolen" money and retire today. Stick a pitchfork in Raffy, he's cooked.
-- Barry, Washington, D.C. (2:56 p.m.)

I agree. Now that Rafael Palmeiro has been caught using a banned substance, he should never see the inside of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown without buying a ticket. If baseball -- and all sports organizations for that matter -- were truly serious about stopping the use of performance-enhancing drugs, drug cheats like Palmeiro would be banned for life.
-- D.A. Sauers, Winona, Minn. (2:56 p.m.)

Keep em OUT! Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro, Sheffield, they are all Cheaters! Who are we kidding giving these guys the "benefit of the doubt"? Keep them out of Cooperstown. Maintain the integrity of the Hall.
-- Matt, Doylestown, Pa. (2:56 p.m.)

Poor Palmeiro. It's a shame he has to go through this. The use of steroids, however, does not contribute to the fact he hit the ball over 3,000 times to where the outfield wasn't. That takes skill, not juice. Palmeiro is going to the Hall for what he has accomplished. He may not just be a sure first timer.
-- Mike, Cincinnati, Ohio (2:56 p.m.)

This just makes me sad. Out of all those who have been accused of using steroids, I thought he was the least likely to actually be guilty of it. I was happy to see him hit his 3,000th hit, now I'm just embarrassed.
-- Lisa, Santa Barbara, Calif. (3:01 p.m.)

Well, he can kiss that plaque goodbye. It's a neat trick when you can hit 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. It's a neater one when you can make Canseco and McGwire look good.
-- Tim, Brooklyn, N.Y. (3:01 p.m.)

I believe Rafael Palmeiro. His expressions of innocence weren't the hollow versions given by McGwire, Schilling, Sosa or any of the other players who have dealt with this scandal. His denials have been passionate and vehement. Palmeiro is a community man, very active in the Dallas area to this day, despite having left for Baltimore in two seperate stints. He has accepted the ruling with class, the same class he plays the game with and I believe a positive will come of this. What that is and when, I do not know. For now, as we all know, it's a sad day in Mudville.
-- Matt McClearin, Dallas (3:01 p.m.)

Along with the phrase "Innocent until proven guilty" is the phrase "reasonable doubt." At this point, based on the circumstancial evidence available, is it truly reasonable to doubt that Bonds, McGwire and Sosa were not chemically enhanced? I think not.
-- Chris Wright , Portland, Ore. (3:01 p.m.)

I don't know what's worse: Thinking about the time we wasted debating Palmeiro's inclusion in the Hall of Fame (no longer a possiblity) or the smug look of triumph on the face of Jose Canseco.
-- Chip, San Diego (3:06 p.m.)

Sadly, Jacob is right but didn't go far enough. He was too P.C. with Sosa, McGwire and Bonds. Just look at them today and you know they juiced. "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its a duck".
-- Pat Frye, Milwaukee (3:11 p.m.)

Last week I wrote to Chatter Up about Raffy's candidacy for the Hall. I couldn't argue him not being in due to his numbers. Forgive me. He was caught cheating and should be banned for life. All players caught using steroids should be out for life. Period. It's apparent that it's the only way to rid the game of steroids.
-- Kevin, San Antonio (3:26 p.m.)

Does it really matter? With this country's attention span, it'll be over fast. Remember how many people said they would never attend a game after the MLB strike? Advice to Palmeiro: blame the media. Seems to work for Bonds, and fans will never doubt you or your credentials.
-- Ed, San Antonio (3:56 p.m.)

So are we going to see Raffy on next season's Surreal Life?
-- Andrew, Belelvue, Wash. (4:06 p.m.)

He lied to Congress adamantly. Maybe Bush should make him secretary of defense.
-- Justin, Phoenix (4:11 p.m.)

Amazing. A career in which Raffy has been the ideal of a gentleman, never a jerk, never flashy in his brilliance, is being instantly discredited because of one test. I'm on Palmeiro's side. Who honestly thinks that a player who has been in the limelight of the baseball media the past six months, from the steroid hearings to his chase of 3,000 hits, would actually take steroids? Remember, a steroid test isn't like measuring someone to see if they're taller than a certain height -- you can get a false positive on a steroid test. It's just sickening to see all the instant revisionist history that is taking place.
-- Chris D'Andrea, Philadelphia (4:11 p.m.)

Innocent until proven guilty. I'll take the man's word until he proven a liar. In both cases Palmeiro failed. Lastly, Palmeiro must be the stupidest man alive because after his vehement denial why wouldn't he taken every possible precaution to prevent testing positive?
-- Steve Smith, Milwaukee (4:16 p.m.)

Mike from Cincy, are you kidding me? Of those 3,000 hits, nearly 600 have gone out of the yard. Some of those would have been flyouts. Plus, steroids allow you to hit the ball harder. Thus, you hit harder line drives that drop. You hit harder grounders that otherwise get fielded. Don't tell me he hasn't benefitted from his steroid use.
-- Greg, Chicago (4:26 p.m.)

I have never been more disapointed to be an Orioles fan. He deserves everything he gets; the boos, the destroyed rep., the HOF lockout. I thought I was a admiring a remarkable talent. Turns out, I was applauding drug use. What a sour ending note to a beautifully orchestrated career.
-- Faith Hayden, Baltimore (4:26 p.m.)

Another one bites the dust. However, I'm not sure what the big deal is with 'roids and professional sports. If the dudes want to ruin their health by getting bigger faster, why not let them? In the end, it means little to me. I like watching superb athletes play their sport but after all, they are just a bunch of jocks. Role models? Give me a break. Who here has anything in common with your typical pro? Now if you excuse me, I have to go load up on caffeine and sugar, the office EPO.
-- Vancealot, San Jose, Calif. (4:31 p.m.)

There's an old saying that goes, "If you throw a stick into a pack of dogs, the one it hits is the one who yelps the loudest." Palmeiro's vehement denials in Congress prove that statement. His place in the Hall -- which was shaky to begin with -- is now forever gone. His reputation is forever tainted. His "never intentionally took steroids" claim is more ridiculous than Bill Clinton's "definition of the word 'is'" nonsense. What little respect I had for him to begin with has now dwindled even more.
-- Evan, Globe, Ariz. (4:41 p.m.)

We believe, and stand by, our friend Rafael Palmeiro in his claim of never intentionally taking steroids. (Hang in there Raffy. Keep sticking to your story, the general public will never figure it out.)
-- Sammy, Mark and Barry, Chicago (4:51 p.m.)

I am personally 100,000% sure that I have not accidentally ingested steroids. And if I were a Hall of Fame-caliber baseball player under a microscope, I'd be even surer. Maybe they should be giving Raffy an IQ test.
-- Ken, Baltimore (5:01 p.m.)

For all those who believe McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds haven't used steroids during their careers, you must also be helping O.J. look for his wife's killer.
-- Dave, Roanoke, Va. (5:11 p.m.)

To be honest, I don't know which is worse: Mark McGwire's non-committal answers to the congressional committee or Palmiero's false denials? As for those who believe Palmiero's denials, tell me this: it's six months since he testified before congress and spouted his (now false) denials. Wouldn't you think that after such denials he would make sure he was squeeky clean?
-- Mike, Marlboro, N.J. (5:24 p.m.)

Canseco is hard to like as a person, but it is becoming increasingly hard to call him a liar.
-- Scott Williamson, Dallas (5:51 p.m.)

I can hear the "Clinton Defense" coming -- I placed the needle in my rear, but didn't inject.
-- Dave, Dallas (6:26 p.m.)

Didn't "knowingly" use steroids? Did he accidentally fall into a vat of "clear"? Do the showers at Camden Yards spew out "juice" in the water? Does his chewing tobacco contain HGH? Does he use Viagra because the steroids have shriveled up his ... oh, never mind.
-- Steve, Dana Point, Calif. (6:36 p.m.)

What if Palmeiro didn't start taking steriods until AFTER his testimony? Then technically, he would not have lied under oath. Believe that and I got a bridge to sell you.
-- Philip, Stockton, Calif. (8:26 p.m.)

Steroids don't help a hitter? Please don't insult my intelligence. Not only do long flies leave the park, and texas leaguers become rocket gappers, but hard-to-field grounders become impossible-to-field grounders. Also, Ted Williams always said that one of the keys to great hitting is keeping your hands back and not committing until the last minute -- then being really quick through the hitting zone. Stronger hands, wrists and forearms allow you to do exactly that -- commit and adjust at the last minute while maintaining great bat speed. This not only affects home runs and total hits, but also doubles and triples. And RBIs, runs scored, slugging average, on-base percentage. You name it.
-- Beau, Sacramento, Calif. (8:31 p.m.)

Sandberg talked about respecting the game in his Hall of Fame speech Sunday and the importance it held to him. Palmeiro, Bonds, Sosa and McGwire should have heeded his advice and been honest with themselves and baseball the way Ryno was.
-- Michael Block, Chicago (10:46 p.m.)

Anyone else think it's an odd coincidence that Bonds announced he won't be back this year on the heels of Palmeiro being outed?
-- Louis, New York City (3:46 a.m., Tuesday)

As a life long Orioles fan I am shocked and angry at Palmeiro's steroid use. Just as the fans showed their support of him by cheering his 3,000 hits, fans should show their displeasure with his drug use by booing him everytime he steps on the field.
-- Joel Maurer, Manassas, Va. (6:26 a.m., Tuesday)

There is an old saying, "when you have integrity, nothing else matters, when you don't, nothing else matters."
-- Dan Coffin, Bloomington, Minn. (9:41 a.m., Tuesday)

I'm in the military (and an Iraq vet) and if I took steroids I would be disgracefully discharged and kicked out of the military and sent to federal prison. Why should a baseball player be exempt from the same laws which govern our nation? Kick him out of baseball because he is a cheat and throw his butt in prison for lying "under oath" to Congress in a federal investigation. If people believe he's innocent then they must be on something too! I'm tired of watching these athletes making a zillion dollars playing a kid's game. The real heroes are the ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan!
-- Chris, Seattle (12:46 p.m., Tuesday)

Instead of coming down on players who are doing well and using supplements, lets focus on players like Christian Guzman who bat .186 and make $7 million a year. That is a real crime. Would you rather have a league full of exciting home run hitters who might be juiced, or a league of bums hitting .180 and putting you to sleep? Count your blessings America. Spoiled brats.
-- Dave, Washington D.C. (12:51 p.m., Tuesday)

It's very disappointing to the fans who love baseball and love Raffy. I guess the value of his rookie card is gone. Can we sue?
-- Mike, Manassas, Va. (1:01 p.m., Tuesday)

I'm surprised nobody's focusing on the fact that MLB has known about the test results for some time -- long enough for Raffy to lose his case with an arbiter -- and nobody has heard anything about it until now. I wonder: have any other stars (perhaps ones bigger than Raffy) have gone through the same process without the fans' knowledge and won the case?
-- Ryan, Boston (1:01 p.m., Tuesday)

Bottom line: Pete Rose's gambling didn't earn him any extra hits or change the outcome of a game. And he's banned for life? Ten days for Raffy seems very light punishment. But in the end, a lot of this moral outrage is of the Johnny-come-lately variety. MLB was late to ban steroids, and we knew about it long before Congress held hearings. Maybe the steroid users should have been grandfathered, the way spitballers were way back when that was first banned.
-- Rich, Englewood, N.J. (2:41 p.m., Tuesday)

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