TONY OLIVA

Steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro are on the eight-man ballot for the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee, which meets Dec. 4 in San Diego.

Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was inducted into the Hall of Fame as legions of fans cheered him.

David Ortiz will certainly hear loud chants of “Big Papi!”.

Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz toured the Baseball Hall of Fame to prepare for his induction this summer and was greeted with chants of “Papi, Papi” by a group of high school baseball players from Pennsylvania when he entered the Plaque Gallery.

David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first turn on the ballot, while steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry to Cooperstown in their final year under consideration by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and David Ortiz appear to be the only players with a chance at Hall of Fame enshrinement when results are unveiled Tuesday, with Ortiz most likely to get in on his first try.

Buck O’Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field, has joined Minnie Miñoso, Gil Hodges and three others in being elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.