He’s the guy everyone says in the second breath. You know, the breath after they finish saying, “…will be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. (Breath) And there’s also…”

Andy Pettitte.

His postseason career (19-11, 3.81 ERA) is being hailed by some as the reason why he should be inducted despite his admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs and despite his  having a relatively pedestrian 3.85 career ERA and an 18-year career that included only three All-Star appearances, albeit five top-five Cy Young-award finishes.

Because I’m a generous sort, I’m inclined to believe that he may have used those drugs only in order to return from injury in 2002.

Inclined, but not convinced.

I mean, if he was using them then, who’s to say that he wasn’t using them before when he was feeling similarly similarly desperate? Or after?

The thing is, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation. Simply put, Pettitte wasn’t good enough, much less great enough to make the hall.  Really good, sure. And there was one 17-9, 2.39 ERA year in 2005. Other than that, lots of 14-win seasons and ERAs north of 4.00. He was very good, but he wasn’t Pedro Martinez or Greg Maddux or John Smoltz. Those are Hall of Fame pitchers.

Here’s the other problem I have with Pettitte: If he gets in then likely so does everybody else who took the wrong path and cheated themselves, the game, their opponents, and the natural order of things. That includes Sammy Sosa who not only was using PEDs but also a corked bat. Then there’s Pettitte’s teammate with the Yankees and the Astros, Roger Clemens who went with the, “No, officer, those are my wife’s” excuse, and Rafael Palmeiro who lied to Congress and Barry Bonds, who let his best friend go to prison to preserve, what, his good name? His place in the game?

And all were better than Pettitte. So, if he goes in, they all go.

One in. All in.

No thanks.