The debate about whether (alleged) steroid users Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame — answered again this week, barely, with a “no” — should catalyze a broader discussion of the importance of integrity.

For now, please allow just a few thoughts about, or against, some of the arguments frequently seen in recent days in those players’ favor. As a matter of normative ethics, the arguments are startlingly off-base.