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"I never saw Joe Jackson, he was a little before my time," Reinsdorf said by phone following Thomas' retirement from baseball. "I started following baseball in 1945 and the only right-handed hitter I've seen since then that I would put in the same class as Frank is [Cardinals' slugger] Albert Pujols. I can't imagine he doesn't get into the Hall of Fame right away." As for Thomas' legacy as a slugger never suspected of steroid use, Reinsdorf added, "He should have won a third MVP," referring to 2000, when Thomas was edged out in the balloting by Jason Giambi, who later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs that season.

He's expected to attribute it to some supplement he uses for personal issues... the truth of his test is expected to leak later today. He tested positive during spring training, that much is known. The story is developing. More support for a Steroids Era Room in the Hall of Fame? Discuss.

While individually, Raines is unlike his peers, overall, it's hard to distinguish them. Any time we compare Raines to a reasonable group of Hall of Famers, we always end up with the same thing: Raines is just like them. If you have a group of players worthy of the Hall, and an individual player compares very favorably to that group, you have a Hall-worthy player by definition. That is what Tim Raines is: the definition of a Hall of Famer. Whether Raines is compared to the best of the best leadoff hitters or the best No. 3 hitters or the best players of his era, he stands among them. And they stand in the Hall of Fame.