Acquittal Could Boost Clemens' Hall Bid Cleared in court, Roger Clemens will now take his case before a larger jury: some 600 Hall of Fame voters. Twelve jurors acquitted him Monday on charges of lying to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Come December, the voters will decide whether Clemens - one of the best pitchers in baseball history - should be granted or denied the game's highest honor. "I think everybody believes he was guilty in some form or fashion," said John Harper of the New York Daily News, who doesn't plan to vote for Clemens. I think that's the real issue as far as voters go. I know that's an issue for me. ESPN reporter/analyst Tim Kurkjian, a Hall voter for more than two decades, said: "It doesn't change how I view him. I think he did something and they just couldn't prove it. I think most rational people look at it that way. I was going to vote for him anyway. Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa all will be first-timers on the ballot, which in some ways will be a referendum for the Steroids Era. Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling and Craig Biggio also will be making their initial appearances. "To me, Roger Clemens was a Hall of Famer from the moment he retired, just like Barry Bonds," San Francisco Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins said. I don't much care for them as people, but that's irrelevant, and I've never believed in the Hall of Fame's 'character' clause. It never seemed to apply to a number of shady characters who made the Hall of Fame over the years, so I simply ignore it. I base my vote on the best players during their time. Cheating has been part of the game since its inception, whether it was gambling, doctored balls or pre-steroid drugs. It's as essential to the game's fabric as the sacrifice fly. Asked about Clemens' chances for making the Hall, NBC's Bob Costas said: "A guilty verdict would have damaged his reputation. It remains to be seen how much or if this verdict helps it. Costas doesn't cast a ballot; Hall of Fame voters are veteran members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "I think some people will assume that he may very well have lied, but that the government couldn't prove it," former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent said. They may have real reservations about his record in light of those questions. But I think it modestly improves his chances of being elected to the Hall of Fame. Clemens spent 4½ years proclaiming his innocence after Brian McNamee, his former personal trainer, told baseball investigator George Mitchell that he injected the pitcher with steroids and human growth hormone about 16 to 21 times during 1998, 2000 and 2001. On Monday, a jury of eight women and four men agreed with Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner. "I think it's great for the game because we can stop talking about it now," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. I'm pretty sure baseball fans are happy it's over. Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, a longtime friend of Clemens and a key witness in the case, wouldn't give his opinion on the verdict, saying only: "I don't even care to talk about that." Pettitte was believed to have given Clemens a boost when he testified there was a 50-50 chance he might have misunderstood a conversation during the 1999-00 offseason that the government claimed was proof Clemens admitted using HGH.