FORT WORTH, Texas _ Rafael Palmeiro fell off the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot five years ago. He's essentially an outcast from Major League Baseball. The organizations where he put together the bulk of a stellar career, the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, don't seem interested in honoring him.
And Palmeiro is OK with that. He understands why. He's the one who became baseball's first superstar to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005.
But not everyone in the baseball world is distancing themselves from Palmeiro. His alma mater, Mississippi State, unveiled a statue of Palmeiro's "sweet swing" alongside his former teammate, Will Clark, at the recently remodeled Duly Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium last month.
"You think of people who have statues on their college campuses _ Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, Jackie Robinson _ I wouldn't say I compare to those names, but when you have a statue in front of your baseball stadium, you've made it," Palmeiro told the Star-Telegram.
"To me, if nothing else comes my way as far as baseball is concerned, I feel I've made it as far as awards and recognition."
Palmeiro, 54, called his college career the "most memorable" of his playing days. He and Clark were known as "thunder and lightning" for a Bulldogs team that reached the College World Series in 1985.
Palmeiro batted .300 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs in that '85 season, his last at Mississippi State. It capped a three-year career in which he had 67 home runs and 239 RBIs, and was named an All-American every year.
Palmeiro always enjoys going back to Starkville, Miss., and raved about the new stadium that locals have dubbed "The New Dude."
"There's nothing like it in college baseball," Palmeiro said. "It's probably a Triple A-level facility. I know there's nice places around the country like Texas A&M and Florida, but, man, nothing like Mississippi State's new ballpark. It's unmatched.
"Those fans care about baseball and those three years were the ones I treasured the most. I made friends for life and, as you can see, they appreciated what I did."
Palmeiro said it took almost two years for the statues of himself and Clark to be built. Palmeiro chose the swing from his 3,000th hit with the Orioles, a double to left field.
"Will had more of a longer, uppercut swing," Palmeiro said. "So I knew I was going to pick a line drive. He was more of the 'thunder' and I was more of the 'lightning.' They complement each other perfectly."
