Two Texas Rangers' Sluggers That Won't Be in Baseball's Hall of Fame

Rafael Palmeiro.

Juan Gonzalez.

A combined 1,003 home runs. A combined 0% chance of getting inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.

The reason? Steroids, of course.

Both former Texas Rangers' sluggers are on this year's list of candidates and - sans the drug thing - could make a great case for inclusion.

Palmeiro is 12th on the all-time homer list with 569 and also had 3,020 hits, joining only Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray in the exclusive 500/3,000 club. But in 2005 on Capitol Hill he infamously wagged his finger for emphasis when he testified that "I have never used steroids. Period." Couple months later he tested positive and was suspended. Credibility gone. Immortality vaporized.

Gonzalez won two AL MVPs in Texas, hit 434 homers, slugged 40+ five times and never tested positive for steroids. Andre Dawson only hit four more homers and got into the Hall last summer. But in his 2005 book bible, Jose Canseco claims he used the drugs with Gonzalez and it didn't help when former owner Tom Hicks admitted to being suspicious about his star player's possible use. Gonzalez was also named on the notorious Mitchell Report, linking him to a syringe-filled duffel bag in '01.

Since steroid slugger Mark McGwire was named on only 23 percent of ballots last year (75 percent is required), there seems little hope for Raffy and Juando.

I don't necessarily want to regurgitate the old "should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame" argument, but ...

Should there be a steroid wing in Cooperstown?