I didn't follow the Bonds thing until recently. But if what I hear is true, I would say baseball and Bonds supporters should feel some shame in accepting his entrance into a club that was built without performance enhancing drugs.

IF it is true that he won't be tested....can that really happen? ...then we are a sad lot not looking ro reqward achievement but to feed our own twisted need for gratification via Bonds.

I hope it isn't so,but if it is it is a far greater threat to baseball than Pete Rose ever could be.

I have been pretty much on the fence about this broken record and the events/non-events leading to yesterday. I am of the generation of Williams, Dimaggio, Robinson, Slaughter, Musial. I have a ball glove I bought for myself that is a Bobby Bonds model. All of those guys "cheated". Michael Jordan was a cheater, Larry Bird was a cheater. There is a very thin line between illegal and taking advantage of whatever is at hand at the moment. Pulling on your opponent's shorts, sliding hard into second, standing near the base path to make the runner make an extra step, whatever. How about elbows under the chin beneath the backboard?

Michael Jordan and other pro's don't like losing. They will do anything to get the advantage as long as they know they will not get caught.

I am not pleased with the steroid use in play. Too freaky for me. Just remember it is a game and the people taking part are not going to lose easily. Everything goes. That is why the drugs and "special equipment" have taken hold. You may sneer all you want if you don't like the way the participants behave but that is all you have going for you.

That all goes for the sports writers as well. Their votes for hall of famers and MVP's are not all pure either. Ted Williams and Jim Rice have felt the wrath for being abusive of the writers.

Dear Joan:

The date time on your post says August 9th, if Salon has time warp capability, why haven't you used it for more productive things. ;>)

Joan, because this is personal for you, I'm happy that you got to see that particular home run of Bonds'. It's neat the way it happened for you and that you have a history with Aaron and Bonds that was started by your mom.

But, because of his obvious steroid-taking (hard to dispute given the evidence), it doesn't count as a record breaker--of Hank Aaron's record, that is. Not apples and apples.

This is personal. To Barry Bonds. Because he broke his own personal home run record. With the next homer, he'll break it again and again until he retires. He holds the home run record for a steroid-using baseball player.

Hank Aaron's record stands until a great ballplayer who doesn't use performace-enhancing, bulking up chemicals breaks it. I hope I live long enough . . . .

His legitimate ones anyway. He still shuns his illegitimate ones. Trying to pretend to be a family man last night is as fake as his record.

My boyhood hero was Hank Aaron and I was disappointed to read that he taped a congratulatory message for Bonds. I've read in the lead up to 756 that Bonds was working behind the scenes through people like Bud Selig to get some confirmation from Aaron that would add to the legitimacy of Bonds' record. Make no mistake: this is a tainted record. Bonds may have never tested positive, but baseball's joke of a test program did not involve random tests and didn't test for much. The proof that Bonds used performance enhancing drugs is overwhelming. Baseball needs to arrive at some indicator in the record books pointing to steriod use in this 20-year period and the dubious nature of many records, including Bonds' career home run mark and the single season home run mark, as well as McGuire's and Sosa's single season home run totals. Aaron is the career non-doped record holder, and Maris is the single season non-doped record holder for home runs.

Joan,

Bonds juiced the roids, bulked up, obliteratd the spirit of baseball, and now has a record no one knows he would have achieved had he played by the rules. On top of that, he is an ass. If he were a nice guy, I might think twice about his self imposed plight.

Hank Aaron's Big Green Hulk Jumbotron congratulation was about Hank Aaron not about Barry Bonds. Which just confirms that Hank and Bud are grumpy old men with a personal axe to grind. If anything Aaron is just a garden variety bitter old guy. And let's face facts - HIS career was essentially over before he beat Ruth's record. But he hung around just long enough to beat it and create a buffer he though would last forever. But it didn't. So Aaron and and his BFF Bud Selig should just sit on the porch grumbling about the kids of today and their rock-n-roll music.

If people want to assert their own personal view of the stats and tell all their friends that Hank Aaron is still the king that's fine. Now stop watching baseball and stop telling everyone you've stopped watching baseball. Thanks.

A record chase that was rendered meaningless by steroids is finally over. For that, as a baseball fan, I am most thankful.

And as far as Bonds being an "underdog"? A multimillionaire who demanded a La-Z-Boy and flat-screen TV be placed in the locker room for his sole use only, who alienated fellow players (Jeff Kent, anyone?), who continually disrespected icons of the game like the Babe....

....and, yes, who was so insecure about his ability (huge ego aside) that he cheated when his natural talent would likely have allowed him to break the record anyway.....

....is not an underdog in any way, shape or form.

~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Hank Aaron showed a level of class that Bonds will never, ever have or understand.

What's that, you say? I greatly admire Hank (who is black)....but I must also automatically be racist because I don't kneel to kiss Bonds' feet?

Excellent logic there.

~~~~~~~~~

{I eagerly await Garry Owen's knee-jerk reflexive, foaming-at-the-mouth angry reply in defense of Bonds...}