Rafael Palmeiro, 1997 Upper Deck SP #30

"I was telling the truth then, and I am telling the truth now,'' Palmeiro, 46, said in a phone interview with SI.com. "I don't know what else I can say. I have never taken steroids. For people who think I took steroids intentionally, I'm never going to convince them. But I hope the voters judge my career fairly and don't look at one mistake.'' (Source)

I just...I don't know. I wish this story would go away. Either Rafael Palmeiro is telling the truth, or he's one of the stubbornest liars there has ever been. There's no in-between. If he's being dishonest, what does he think he has to gain from trotting out the same story that fell flat five years ago?

For the record, I think he should be judged on his entire on-field body of work, and that by this standard, he is a Hall of Famer. I'm afraid that there are enough BBWAA voters on the self-appointed morality squad to bounce him from the ballot on his first try, though. After all, there are plenty who have said or implied they're not voting for Jeff Bagwell just because he played in the "steroid era" and hit a bunch of home runs. Sigh.