Should Barry Bonds Be in The Hall of Fame? He Says Yes [POLL]

Did you know Bonds is one of only four players in baseball history to be a part of the 40/40 club? That's 40 home runs and stolen bases in one season. More impressive, he was a model of consistency, winning NL MVP a record seven times. In fact at the age when most players see their production rapidly decline, Bonds seemed to only get better. Bonds was without a single doubt one of the best to ever swing a baseball bat.

But his numbers aren't what's in dispute.

So what's the problem? He should be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, right? Wrong. Even non-baseball fans have a pretty good understanding of Barry Bonds' allegations of steroid use. But just in case, from Wikipedia, here's a brief refresher,

On November 15, 2007, Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice as it relates to the government investigation of BALCO... On February 14, 2008 a typo in court papers filed by Federal prosecutors erroneously alleged that Bonds tested positive for steroids in November, 2001. The reference was meant instead to refer to a November 2000 test that had already been disclosed and previously reported.

His trial for obstruction of justice was to have begun on March 2, 2009, but jury selection was postponed due to 11th-hour appeals by the prosecution. The trial commenced on March 21, 2011, in U. S. District Court, Northern District of California, with Judge Susan Illston presiding. He was convicted on April 13, 2011 on the obstruction of justice charge. Writers with The New York Times do not expect Bonds to get prison time after pro cyclist Tammy Thomas received house arrest and probation for similar crimes in the BALCO scandal.

Does Bonds think he belongs in Cooperstown? Of course he does, here's what he told MLB.com,

You have to vote on baseball the way baseball needs to be voted on. If you vote on your assumptions or what you believe or what you think might have been going on there, that's your problem. You're at fault. It has nothing to do with what your opinion is. Period. If that's the case, you better go way, way back and start thinking about your opinions. If that's how you feel life should be run, I would say then you run your Hall of Fame the way you want to run your Hall of Fame. That's what I think. That's my personal opinion. If you want to do the Hall of Fame the way the Hall of Fame is supposed to be done, then you make the right decision on that. If you don't, that's on you. To stamp something on your assumptions, it doesn't work for me.

So what do you think does MLB baseball's only seven time MVP and all-time leader in home runs, walks, and intentional walks, Barry Bonds deserve to have his jersey and cap enshrined in Cooperstoen next to names like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and his godfather, Willie Mays?