It was announced Wednesday night that Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also, for the fifth year in a row, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens missed the 75-percent mark they needed from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Bonds is regarded as one of the best hitters baseball has ever seen. He holds the single-season and career homerun records. Clemens’ 4,672 career strikeouts ranks third all time. Both are two of the best to ever play the game, but suspected steroid use has been a cloud over possible Hall of Fame inductions.

However, each hit the 50-percent mark for the first time. They’re gaining traction with younger, first-time voters, leading one to believe that it’s only a matter of time that they get into the Hall of Fame.

No matter their credentials, Bonds and Clemens’ believed drug use should keep them outside permanently. There have been tons of baseball players that have put together respectable — even incredible — careers that aren’t even being considered right now.

And they did it the right way, setting an example for future players. What kind of message does it send to aspiring ball players at every level should Bonds and Clemens get a spot in the Hall of Fame someday?

There is plenty of young, talented players right here in Beaufort County. These boys are currently preparing for the upcoming season. A lot of them won’t be done come May or June. Many keep playing through the summer for scholastic-league teams or for the Post 15 American Legion team. At the youth level, the area’s finest travel all over competing in all-star tournaments.

Thankfully, the county has plenty of good coaches at all ranks. From T-ball to varsity, they’re teaching the area’s players not just how to play well, but how to do it the right way.

There needs to be this same example being set at the professional level. Major League Baseball players are the best in the world and should be held to a higher standard. Appropriately, the MLB uses a three-strike policy. Players are suspended for 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs the first time. A second positive results in a season-long suspension. Testing positive a third time yields a lifetime ban.

These seem pretty cut and dry. Why not tack on a Hall of Fame ban for the first positive? PEDs have been a black eye on the sport, but don’t have to taint the Hall of Fame. It would send a crystal-clear message to not just current professionals, but all the younger players with MLB aspirations, too.