The year was 1998.

The strike of '94 was still fresh in the memory of baseball fans. The wounds hadn't quite healed.

Then Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa started hitting home runs as frequently as Christina Aguilera changes hair styles.

And we loved it. We ate it up. We cheered. We sat up in our seats every time one of them stepped to the plate.

And we knew they were juicing, er, allegedly juicing.

In 1998, we didn't care.

But eight-plus years later we sure do. Thank Jose Canseco for that. Thank Congress for that. But above all else, thank McGwire for that.

Because the slugger would rather do an Oliver North than tell the truth, because he wouldn't just say, "Yeah, I took steroids. Sue me," he's not in the Hall of Fame.

He may never get in.

If I had a vote, which I don't, I wouldn't let him in, either, for two reasons:

• Pete Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame.

• "Shoeless" Joe Jackson isn't in the Hall of Fame.

McGwire shouldn't be in the Hall because he became a pin cushion for steroid-filled syringes. He used performance enhancing drugs.

Rose bet on baseball. That didn't affect what he did on the field.

Jackson allegedly helped to fix the 1919 World Series, yet he hit .375 and made no errors in 30 chances.

There are others who should get into the Hall before McGwire, people like Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage and even Jack Morris.

Then again, what do I know?

There were eight Hall of Fame voters who didn't cast a ballot for Cal Ripken Jr.

There were 13 who didn't put a check by Tony Gwynn's name.

One person thought enough of Jay Buhner (yes, that Jay Buhner) that he voted for him for the Hall of Fame.

Jay Buhner? He must have liked the bald, goatee look.

The only thing we can unanimously agree on is the voting process is flawed.

Perhaps there is an easy solution to this dilemma.

Cooperstown should build a Steroid Wing to the Hall of Fame.

That would solve the problem of whether the juicers enter the Hall or not. They would have their own special Hall of Shame.

Canseco should be the charter member. McGwire and "Anabolic" Barry Bonds would follow.

Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro also would be enshrined on the first ballot.

Palmeiro's wagging finger in front of Congress would be his bronze bust, not his face.

Then, maybe guys like Gossage, who was a closer before anyone really knew what a closer was, and Morris, who won more games over a 10-year period than anyone in the game, can get in.

Maybe then voters can ignore all the home runs Blyleven gave up to realize he had 60 shutouts and a 3.31 ERA in his 22-year career.

Or not.

What they'll do instead is debate McGwire's fate and not vote for guys like Ripken and Gwynn.

Maybe the voters should shoot up with some common sense.