rounders.

i may try watching this. always hated it before mind.

Bonds gets record, but not respect

Barry Bonds finally broke the record, and given his pain and torment while limping to No. 756, the record threatened to break him instead.

This pathetic Bonds chase was the most preposterous pursuit of a major sports record in American history, but perfectly befitting our gonzo culture. This crass affair had everything except Lindsay Lohan, berserk pro wrestlers, Paris Hilton and Michael Vick's pit bulls.

In the final weeks and days, Bonds' former mistress announced plans to tell all, and show all, in Playboy magazine. The increasingly bitter Bonds called Bob Costas a "midget." The federal grand jury that's considering several allegations against Bonds was extended for several more months. Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was still locked up in prison after refusing to tell government investigators what he knows about Bonds' alleged steroid use. Amazingly, even Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, suggested recently that Bonds should do the right thing and give Anderson some money for all of his trouble. So what are you implying, counselor?

The only real suspense was this: What would happen sooner — Bonds catching Henry Aaron or the feds catching Barry?

Bonds snatched the record. The feds need more time.

Can we get back to our regularly scheduled programming now?

How about the game of baseball instead of this pumped-up Home Run Derby?

I'm tired of home runs being overexposed, and worshipped, and marketed. I'm bored by the long ball as a gimmick, a promotion, a statement of manhood. Home runs are super in the context of competition. A timely homer that wins a game is as exciting as any moment in sports. But I'm numb to the endless barrage of ESPN home run highlights and the nation's general obsession with power, which blots out the finer points of mastering the game of baseball.

I'm tired of agonizing over steroids and the authenticity of home run records. It's up to Commissioner Bud Selig and the owners to reach the determinations that will separate the cheaters from the good guys — if that is even possible. When the rate of home runs soared during the steroids era, the commissioner and the owners certainly knew they were running a freak show, but they did nothing about it because homers were good for business.

That's also why I don't hate Barry Bonds.

He's just a product of the times, the culture, this era, and baseball's institutional neglect. Bonds just happens to be the most notorious of the 'roids suspects, and he's taken possession of a famous record, so naturally he's received the most attention.

And we're just getting started. As we've learned by observing the evolution of Olympic athletes, some baseball players will always try to cheat. They'll turn to the latest scientific and technological advances to stay ahead of the testers. And most (if not all) will get away with it. You have to be pretty dumb to get caught in a steroids test.

Because Bonds is black, some misguided souls would like to turn his unpopularity into a racial issue, but that makes absolutely no sense for at least two reasons: (1) Aaron is a black man; (2) white slugger Mark McGwire, another suspected juicer, was humiliated and denied entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame after receiving only 25 percent of the necessary 75 percent of the votes on his first appearance on the ballot.

Aaron, for some reason, broke his virtual vow of silence on Bonds by offering a pre-recorded congratulatory message on the stadium video board. Aaron chose to give Bonds the validation that Bonds so desperately craved. And in trying to give Bonds respect Aaron may have lost some respect himself. But that's for baseball fans to decide. Aaron's endorsement, however, will not improve Bonds' popularity ratings.

Bonds may claim the record for now, and he's a wealthy man, but he won't own much else. This road will be lonely. Aside from the love coming to him from slobbering sycophants and apologists, true respect and affection and honor will elude Bonds for the rest of his life. And if the federal prosecutors can finish building a strong case against Bonds, the worst is yet to come for him.

Besides, this record won't last. It will be shattered. Bonds' number will eventually be taken down. Maybe it'll be Alex Rodriguez, or Albert Pujols, or Adam Dunn. I don't even rule out Ken Griffey Jr., depending on how much longer he wants to play.

And Bonds is no Aaron.

To put this in perspective, it took Bonds 22 seasons of feasting on diluted pitching, weak expansion teams, sore-armed hurlers, hepped-up baseballs and smaller ballparks to grab Aaron's mark, and that doesn't even take into account the illegal performance enhancers Bonds may have put in his bloodstream.

"This won't diminish what Hank Aaron accomplished," Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith said. "I think people will always consider him the legitimate home run king, because of all of this questionable stuff surrounding Bonds. When Aaron hit them, you knew they were real home runs. With Barry, you don't know what's real or what's not. And that's what makes it tough."

Smith expressed these thoughts before Bonds actually broke the record.

And Ozzie also spoke for a nation when he said, "It's just an unfortunate time for a game that we all love, and as a fan I'll be glad when it's over."

It's over now.

And the best I could muster was a standing yawn.

god.... as if the game wasn't slow enough... they going to stop for 20 minutes every time he hits another one. I love the concept of the popular American sports but if they would just f****** get on with it would be immense to watch. Too much faffing around and hollywooding!