Now we know who Rafael Palmeiro was really pointing the finger at when he addressed the Congressional hearings on steroids in March. Us. For being so gullible. We wanted to believe ?Raffy? was telling the truth when he said he ?never, ever? took steroids. We wanted to believe this proud man, who sat erect and dignified, looking directly into the eyes of his questioners, when he emphatically denied what Mark McGwire never did. We wanted to believe Raffy when he put Jose Canseco to shame, confirming our suspicions about the former Oakland slugger turned shameless tattle-tale. We wanted to believe Raffy?s credentials as a first-ballot Hall of Famer were hard-earned, even though he didn?t start hitting home runs in bunches until 1993, the year he and Canseco became teammates in Texas. (Home run totals for Palmeiro in the 7 years before 1993: 95. Home run totals for Palmeiro in the next 7 years: 266). As it turns out, it?s Canseco who may wind up as the figure with the most credibility in this sordid drama. The man who was ridiculed for matter-of-factly naming beloved stars like Palmeiro and McGwire as ?roid users is suddenly becoming baseball?s performance enhancement ambassador . Now, Raffy wants us to believe he didn?t ?intentionally? take steroids, which sounds suspiciously like Bill Clinton saying he didn?t ?have sex? with a certain White House intern. What does Palmeiro have in common with Barry Bonds, Chicago Bears safety Damon Moore, cyclist Tyler Hamilton, shot-putter C.J. Hunter, and sprinter Calvin Harrison? All of them had no idea how performance-enhancing drugs had entered their body. They?re guilty, but not accountable. They did something illegal ? but meant no harm. Welcome to the world of today?s modern athlete. If I don?t acknowledge doing it ? maybe people won?t believe it happened. The trouble is, people always do. What they don?t believe is anything the athlete says, ever again. As Raffy himself said this week, when defending the implausibility of why he would knowingly take steroids after testifying to Congress and pursuing 3000 hits - it doesn?t make sense. Why can?t he just cop to what he did? How can public opinion against him be any worse than it?s become for McGwire, who tried to make the issue go away by avoiding it and pretending it was irrelevant (?I don?t want to talk about the past?)? McGwire?s legacy is now permanently disgraced, as is, to a lesser degree, Jason Giambi?s. Giambi at least alluded to steroid use, even if he never came flat out and admitted it. And he?s at least got a few years left to rehab a tattered image, without the burden of a Hall of Fame admission hanging on him doing so. If Rafael Palmeiro wants to be remembered for anything more than being a cheat who injected himself to 500-plus home runs, he?ll fess up to what he did and why he did it, admit that he?s a flawed man who made a mistake, and dedicate the rest of his playing days (and after) to making sure that kids don?t follow in his footsteps. This is not the first time such a suggestion?s been made. Both Bonds and Giambi had the same opportunity, and chose not to take it. Here?s hoping Raffy shows some sense, and does something for the game (and himself) that can?t be quantified by statistics and Hall of Fame votes.