John Feinstein makes a depressing observation in his recent column on the indictment of Roger Clemens:

Even before [Mark] McGwire admitted his guilt, his name had appeared twice on a ballot for the Hall of Fame. He never received more than 25 percent support, much less the 75 percent needed to gain entry. The same fate almost certainly awaits Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmeiro and even Rodriguez.

If you throw in Pete Rose, who had more hits than any player but is ineligible for the Hall of Fame because he bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds (and lied about it for almost 20 years before admitting it in a book), the sport’s all-time home run leader, its all-time hits leader, its most dominant pitcher of the past 50 years (Clemens) and its probable next all-time home runs leader (Rodriguez) are likely to be locked out of its Hall of Fame.

That’s not a black eye. That’s an out-and-out disaster.