The final vote totals for baseball's 2017 Hall of Fame class revealed a lot more than the three players -- first baseman Jeff Bagwell, outfielder Tim Raines and catcher Ivan Rodriguez -- who are headed to Cooperstown, N.Y.
Perhaps the most obvious is the fact a somewhat reduced and younger electorate is showing a more lenient tendency, which means there is a good chance the steroid era is destined to join the cocaine era in the rearview mirror and simply become a tainted partner in the game's history.
The best evidence of the changing climate can be seen in the results of this year's first-time voters. Of the 14 known votes by those with first-year eligibility, Raines scored 100 percent -- the only player on the ballot to do so -- while outfielder Barry Bonds and right-hander Roger Clemens were named on 13 of those ballots.
