OK, enough is enough.

It's time for baseball to drop its holier-than-thou attitude.

If I had an ax in my hand, I'd chop down the pedestal upon which the sport's powers-that-be are perched myself.

Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Neither may ever get there — and it's a joke.

The reason to keep them out is the same:To protect the integrity of the game.

What integrity?

The integrity that selected Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, two guys who couldn't have been further from the category of model citizens, as two of the first five players in the Hall of Fame?

The integrity that allows life-sized owners' puppet Bud Selig to continue his sham as acting commissioner?

The integrity to allow playoff and World Series games to be played at midnight in late October so youngsters and the general working public never get to see any late-inning drama unfold live?

The integrity that lets renowned spitball artist Gaylord Perry get into the Hall of Fame while Rose isn't even permitted on the ballot?

Gimme a break.

Yes, Rose gambled on baseball. The man should not be allowed to wear a uniform or suit as an employee of any major league team ever again.

But he should be a member of the Hall of Fame.

Rose collected more hits than anyone who ever played big league baseball. He patented the head-first dive into bases. Since I am a Pirates fan, I grew up despising Rose as a player.

At the same time, to this day, I've never seen a player play the game harder.

Only 23 percent of the voters punched McGwire's ticket for the Hall of Fame. He needs 75 percent to get in.

McGwire hit 583 home runs in a career marred by back, heel and knee injuries. He hit 49 home runs his rookie year, obliterating the previous rookie record of 38.

He was a Gold Glove winner at first base. He was voted onto baseball's all-century team, but isn't good enough for the Hall of Fame.

Because he "cheated." That no-good steroid monster. He cheated us all.

Right.

McGwire and Sammy Sosa put baseball back into America's heart during their 1998 home run chase. They packed ballparks from coast to coast. No one cared about steroids then.

If they were users, so were lots of other players. But no one else did what they did on the field.

McGwire gave up a shot at a 50-homer rookie season to be present for the birth of his first child. He donated $1 million of his contract with the Cardinals to help sexually and physically abused children in St. Louis and California.

After breaking the Roger Maris home run record, he went into the stands and embraced the children of the late Yankees slugger.

Yeah, McGwire is a beast. A real monster.

Rose and McGwire just don't have wings holy enough to reach the perch on that pedestal.

So, where's that ax?