“To be elected … is an overwhelming experience. I can’t put into words what it means to me.” So said Goose Gossage of his election to baseball’s Hall of Fame this week.

The day of his election was “quite a special day, to say the least,” said Gossage.

“I got another [expletive] question the other day about the Hall of Fame. You think I played my career because I’m worried about the damn Hall of Fame? I could give a rat’s ass about that, also. If you have a vote … you keep your vote. I don’t need the Hall of Fame to justify that I put my butt on the line and worked my tail off.”

Those are the words of Roger Clemens at his news conference last Monday in his ongoing offensive against allegations he was a steroid user.

What will happen to Clemens and the steroid matter remains to be played out, but if Clemens cares one iota about the game, he needs to hoist his vitamin-injected butt off his self-righteous pedestal and issue one mighty solid apology to the Hall of Fame, its members, the fans and the game of baseball.

A little baseball lesson, Roger.

The Hall of Fame is the apex of recognition for all who have played the game and it is viewed as such by fans. There will forever be arguments about who should be there but not about what it stands for.

The 70,000-plus who trekked to Cooperstown, N.Y., the home of the Hall of Fame, last summer to see the induction of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. did care about the Hall, the members and the game.

Do you?

It’s not the first time Clemens has hoisted his petard above the Hall. In 2003, one of the years he said he was retiring, he said, “I play 20 years, work my tail off, they’re [the Hall] not going to tell me what hat I’m wearing. I promise you that. There might be a vacant seat there. I’ll take my mother and we’ll go to Palm Springs and invite all y’all and we’ll have our own celebration.”

Clemens said that in response to what hat he would like on his Hall of Fame plaque, a decision made by the Hall, not the players, to prevent players from receiving compensation for the choice if they played for more than one team.

Clemens wants a Yankee hat, not a Red Sox or Blue Jays chapeau.

The way things are going, Clemens can pick the hat he wants and wear it in Palm Springs and there will be no vacant seat in Cooperstown.

A survey of HofF voters on ESPN.com came after Clemens was named in the Mitchell Report as a steroid user. Of the 100 respondents, 37 would vote yes, 22 no, and 41 undecided.

And that was before “60 Minutes,” the phone call between Clemens and his accuser trainer, the press conference noted above and Congressional hearings yet to be held.

The Hall is baseball’s cathedral. It is a joyous, beautiful home for all who love the game and its greatest memories.

Your slap at the Hall, Mr. Clemens, is a slap at everyone who ever cared about the game. You owe us an apology – now – no matter what happens on the steroid front.

If you think your image and your cap are needed to make the Hall baseball’s most special place, think again.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net