Here’s the background. The current issue of Sports Illustrated — a good issue — contains a series of profiles it calls “Where are they now?” There are articles about Earl Campbell, Shawn Kemp and Jackson, among others.

Jackson always makes for good copy. He is smart and articulate and he gives his true, unfiltered opinions — he has opinions on everything. Toward the end of his profile, he gets into performance-enhancing drugs and their impact on who gets into the Hall of Fame — and who doesn’t get in. This is Topic No.1 in baseball these days, and Jackson, to his credit, takes it on like he took on a 95 mph fastball — dead red.

To read the entire column, please click here.