Roger Clemens: Does the Verdict Pave the Way to Baseball Hall of Fame?

Now that former Boston Red Sox star and New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens has been acquitted on all counts of perjury, does that open the proverbial flood gates for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Clemens was accused of lying to Congress in a 2008 hearing regarding his possible use of human growth hormone (HGH) or steroids. Questionable testimony by the prosecutor's witnesses cast a shadow on whether Clemens was guilty.

While many believe Clemens may have used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in his baseball career, this acquittal will change how at least some people feel.

That doesn't mean Clemens will be enshrined tomorrow or ever.

As New York Times writer Tyler Kepner said on Twitter shortly following the verdict:

"

The Black Sox were also acquitted in court, so there's that.

— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) June 18, 2012"

In the coming years, more and more former players believed to have used PEDs at some point will become eligible for induction. As this group continues to grow, the Baseball Writers' Association of America, that votes for candidates, will become more limited in its options.

Many suggestions for how to handle the influx have been made, but I have a rather simple one: Let's only induct those players whose alleged violations would have taken place prior to the adoption of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program in the spring of 2006.

In order to have some form of consistency in the coming years, the writers will need some type of a guideline. Many have developed their own criteria, but one thing is for certain—none of them agree on anything.

Clemens' numbers alone certainly merit Hall of Fame status. His shady past, on the other hand, may be enough to keep him out.