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Wade Boggs: If I Had Hall Of Fame Vote, Proven Steroid Cheats Wouldn't Get It

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Reggie Jackson isn't the only MLB legend with an opinion on the great Hall of Fame debate: Should admitted cheats be enshrined in Cooperstown?

Wade Boggs, who built his Hall of Fame resume over 18 seasons with the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays, said Tuesday morning that a player wouldn't get his vote if the proof of performance enhancing drugs was irrefutable.

"No. No. Absolutely not," Boggs told WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. "It's a bad message that we're sending to the youth of America -- or the youth of the world, for that fact. I mean, my goodness, if you're gonna let one guy get in, then let everybody do it. Don't make it illegal."

Boggs, once a member of the Veterans Committee, no longer has a vote.

"Don't let one guy get in the Hall of Fame and stand up on the podium in front of 30,000 people and say, 'I'm the greatest player and I'm with all of these legends because I did steroids,' " said Boggs. "That's a huge message to send to the youth of the world."

LISTEN: Boggs with Boomer & Carton

(You can download the entire interview HERE.)

Boggs wouldn't give his take on former Boston teammate Roger Clemens, who has steadfastly denied using PEDs since his name surfaced in the Mitchell Report. Clemens was acquitted last month on charges that he lied to Congress in 2008 about his alleged steroid usage.

But when asked if he was offended by what happened in the Steroid Era, Boggs' answer couldn't have been more clear.

"Sure. Sure," he said. "You're telling yourself that you're not better than that guy 60 feet, 6 inches away from you. So you've got to have something to get the edge and beat him. This is what's offensive.

"And the people who should really be upset are the owners, because these guys (PED users) put on a mask and stole all this money and put up these numbers, and stole it from the owners, because they couldn't do it on their own ability. That's what's disheartening about the whole thing."

As for Jackson, who questioned the candidacy of admitted steroid user (2001-03) A-Rod, not to mention the Hall of Fame record of clean players Gary Carter, Bert Blyleven and others? Well, Boggs doesn't know whether the former Yankees star has an opinion on his credentials, which include 3,010 hits and a .328 batting average.

"He hasn't told me to my face," he said.

Do you agree with Boggs? Let us know in the comments below!

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