Barry Bonds - "They are entitled to their vote. But that dream is still not over for me"

MLB legend Barry Bonds has revealed that he still hopes to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame after entering the final year of eligibility.

The all-time single-season home-run record holder was heavily associated with the steroid era of the sport, making him an unfavorable contender in the ballot voting. However, Bonds believes that he still has a chance of making it 15 years after announcing his retirement. Bonds told ESPN, saying:

"It is what it is. That’s their vote. They are entitled to their vote. But that dream is still not over for me. It means a lot to all of us – 100%, yes. We’ve earned it."

#756 @BarryBonds https://t.co/vD7VwbXrPD

Bonds, unfortunately, drew only 66 percent of the vote in his 10th and final year on the ballot, falling short of the 75-percent qualification mark. Bonds will still be eligible for the Today’s Game Era ballot for players' great contributions from 1988-2016. The former Giants star spent 15 of his 22 seasons in San Francisco, holding the all-time record for career home runs (762), single-season homers (73 in 2001), walks (2,558) and intentional walks (688). He also hit .312/.477/.666 over 1,976 games.

Barry Bonds' involvement in the PEDs scandal

Barry Bonds was first alleged to have used steroids to recover from elbow surgery in 1999. He was then involved in a case of alleged perjury regarding the use of anabolic steroids and receiving testosterone from his trainer, Greg Anderson. Anderson allegedly misled Bonds into believing he was taking flaxseed oil and arthritis cream.

Barry Bonds spent over two decades in the MLB breaking numerous records

Almost a decade later, Bonds was convicted of one felony count of obstruction of justice for giving an incomplete answer to a question in grand jury testimony. The case affected his chances at making it into the Baseball Hall of Fame while also questioning the records broken during his career as a player in the MLB.

With a glorious career ruined because of the steroid era, Bonds will be utterly shattered by missing out on the HOF induction. However, this could be a good lesson for the younger generation of players hoping to make it among the greats of the game with the right mindset and attitude in their careers.