BARRY BONDS: It's Not About Steroids, It's About Steroids and RACE

[McCamy Taylor]

Like a lot of people at DU, my interest in professional sports is zip. So, when the Barry Bonds steroids controversy came up, I had no idea what going on. However, I know some past history. I know about “The Great White Hope” and Ali, and I know how much our society hates strong, in your face African-American athletes, especially the kind that openly challenge the racist status quo in this country. So, when I saw that TWO books had been released simultaneously about one players supposed steroid use, and I witnessed an endless stream of white people demanding that Bonds come clean/ quit baseball/get kicked out, and I recalled that when Mark McGwire broke down in tears before Congress it was CONGRESS that incurred the wrath of America’s NASCAR dads, I got to thinking....

Of course, everyone involved denies that race is a motivating factor. Right. It is all about justice. And keeping baseball wholesome and natural. As if knee surgery and eye surgery are natural. As if sending kids to peewee baseball camp and holding them back from middle school graduation so they will be older when they get to high school is wholesome.

Anyway, no one will fess up to racism, but I decided to do a little internet search, and here is what I found.

Document 1. "Barry Bonds, Racist" by Nicholas Stix 15 June 2005
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4402.html

“White people were never concerned about Barry Bonds overtaking Babe Ruth; that was Bonds’ own obsession! Because Ruth was white, Bonds fancies that overtaking him would somehow drive white folks crazy. Bonds wishes to present himself as a victim/hero, and race-baiting whites inflates his already outsized ego. As I said, the man is seeking to steal Hank Aaron’s life.”

The next document sort of blows the argument that no one cares about Bonds breaking Ruth’s record to hell.

Document 2. "Barry's head has swollen" Submitted by: By Adrian Wojnarowski 07-17-2003

http://www.baberuth.com/flash/about/viewheadline.php?id=1669

"As he creeps closer to Babe Ruth's home run record, Barry Bonds will wish he could take his words back. Let him think about it, let it linger and San Francisco's slugger will wish he had never dismissed Ruth with a snarl and a sniff. Before long, the comparisons will be relentless. But this is the way Bonds wanted it, the debate dwindling down to the two most feared hitters in history: Barry and the Babe.

"Bonds swears it is neither his godfather, Willie Mays, 17 home runs away at 660, nor Henry Aaron at 755, who is on his mind.

"Bonds wants 714.

"Bonds wants the Babe.

"Willie's number is always the one that I've strived for," Bonds said before the All-Star Game on Tuesday. "And if it does happen, the only number I care about is Babe Ruth's. Because as a left-handed hitter, I wiped him out. That's it. And in the baseball world, Babe Ruth's everything, right? I got his slugging percentage and I'll take his home runs and that's it. Don't talk about him no more."



Why is Bonds being called a “racist” by conservatives? We all know that is a buzzword for a member of a minority who points out racism.

Document 3. Barry Bonds vs. Boston "A Flea Market of Racism"By DAVE ZIRIN
http://www.counterpunch.org/zirin06232004.html

“In an interview with the Boston Globe, Bonds was asked a cream puff question about whether he would consider finishing his career in Beantown. Bonds shook his head and said, "Boston is too racist for me. I couldn't play there. That's been going on ever since my dad (Bobby) was playing baseball. I can't play like that. That's not for me, brother." When the reporter countered that the racial climate has changed in Boston, Bonds responded, "It ain't changing. It ain't changing nowhere."’

Back to Documemt 1 for this priceless quote:

"Instead of focusing on hating barry bonds because of his racist behavior, I prefer to hate him because he is a steroid abusing asshole"




Conclusion: A lot of people are uncomfortable with Bonds for pointing out the racism in sports and in America. But most of them know that it is politically incorrect to hate a Black man for being racist (that is one of the signs that you are a racist). So they are very, very, very glad that they can now symbolically lynch him for using steroids. Plus, he is about to break Babe's Ruth record as a left handed batter, so there is a Great White Hope aspect to this, too.

Now, I realize that Rove and the RNC would like nothing better than for the Bonds controversy to turn into a racial controversy so that the Republicans can hold it up to their conservative base and say "See where the Dems stand? See where we stand?" However, Barry Bonds is a human being, and my conscience does not allow me to stand aside and watch as a human being is treated more harshly than his peers because of his race.

My suggestion on how to deal with this mess? Rather than simply saying "THis is all about race" (it isnt), bring up Mark McGwire. Every single time someone talks abot Barry Bonds and steroids ask what penalty Mark McGwire has suffered. Has he been investigated? Stripped of his titles? Records? If the sports world is going to come down hard on steroid use they need to come down hard on white and black equally.

I dont think they have the balls to do to Mark McGwire what they are doing to Barry Bonds. The fans wont stand for it.

[FSogol]

1. Bonds's argument is BS

Aaron is the home run king, not Ruth. Ruth is remembered for being a larger than life lovable clown. Aaron is a hardworking professional who surpassed Ruth. While Bonds made himself larger than life, no one loves him. He pales in comparison to Aaron.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. Not quite true

Ruth is remembered because he set that record at a time when his personal home-run total for a year would be more than an entire team's.

[TomInTib]

2. You forgot "Being a total ass". Bonds is one of the greatest of all time

But he is a world-class jerk.

That is what gives us baseball fans much glee about his situation.

But he can be on my team, anytime.

[democracyindanger]

12. Yep. Bonds complaining that this has to do with racism

is no different than last year when he was blaming the media for making his kids feel bad. This has nothing to do with race, and a lot to do with him being an asshole.

[Blue_Tires]

28. +1

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

15. It's all about the $$$$$$, Barry.

He's obnoxious.:puke:

[BOSSHOG]

3. Babe Ruth does not hold the home run record

Hank Aaron does and I don't want to see Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's hard earned record. Mark McGwire has been out of the running for years. On occasion I see Tiger Woods on Sports Center and watch the thousands of racists all along the fairways cheering him on as he drives long or putts on the well manicured greens.

[tcfrogs]

6. Huh?

What racists? The golf fans? That's a bit of blanket accusation.

[BOSSHOG]

8. I failed to add

"sarcasm" to my post. Some folks throw "racist" around like talcum, so I thought I'd join in.

[BlooInBloo]

11. Yah - black people do that a lot, huh bosshog?

I'm sure they're glad you're here to set 'em straight tho...

:sarcasm:

[McCamy Taylor]

17. Yeah, like Tom Delay calling Rep McKinney "racist" as linked here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x851581

[Mark E. Smith]

4. Why Barry and not Arnold?

I think Barry raises a great point. Why is it Schwarzenegger, in many way the poster boy for steroids, gets off free while Barry becomes synonymous with usage?

[SaveElmer]

7. Baseball is unique...

No one would care about Bonds except that he is about to break the most revered record in a sport where records and stats are of utmost importance. If it was McGwire that was approaching 755 there would be the same outcry. And McGwire was roundly criticized after his pathetic appearance before Congress last year. But McGwire is retired. That fact that Bonds is a jerk does not help matters at all.

[sendero]

29. Because..

... everyone in professional bodybuilding uses steroids, period.

[meegbear]

5. I have never heard anyone bring up race in regards to this ...

black, white, hispanic, etc. You do the crime, you do the time.

QED.

[FSogol]

10. Bonds is the one bringing up the race issue. n/t

[BootinUp]

9. Watch I'll get flamed or somethin

My own observation with regard to sports and race is that folks who make comments soley motivated by a race are generally crucified in the press. Its certainly looked down on by a vast majority of committed sports followers.

Not to say there aren't some real nutball bigots out there. Certainly we should call them out when spotted in the wild.

And on Bonds I can only say that players (all steroid using players) are going trying to justify steroid use to themselves and others with all kinds of contorted reasoning but they made a choice to enhance their performance that way. Its not a race issue in my view.

[McCamy Taylor]

19. If sports is afraid of race, then sports needs to examine why.

Two points:

Race issues are very real in this country. Who owns most teams? Who manages most teams? Who builds the stadiums? Who profits from the merchandising? What color are the people in the sweat shops that make the merchandise? What behavior is acceptable from atheletes? What behavior is acceptable from females, from minorities? How far have we come from the days of Jack Johnson? Would "Bull Durham" have been a smash hit if Susan Sarandon's lovers had been Danny Glover and Denizel Washington?

Why on earth does anyone get angry when anyone says that there is racism in America or that one particular part of America has more racism than another? America is riddled with racism, and yes, it is worse in some places than in others, and Boston is one. So, maybe Boston should be called to task for it. However, sports does not want its athletes to dabble in politics. Muhammad Ali said the war in Vietnam was about imperialism and he was right and look at how much shit he caught over that. This is ridiculous. Actors are not held to this standard anymore. There is no law that requires that athletes have to be diplomats who smile for the camera and make America feel smug off the playing field, just as there is no law that says that Miss America has to be a virgin. Miss America has to look good in a swimsuit. Baseball players have to play baseball.

[BootinUp]

26. Sure race issues are real.

But when you claim to be a victim or make charges there is some requirement for justification. In the case of Bonds (which I haven't followed very closely) it seems his charges are being dismissed by people of various background and race. I have no judgment just that observation.

In general I think there are better spokespersons for racism issues than super wealthy sports heroes. These guys live a life style that most Americans can only dream about. But still I don't feel I have a closed mind on that just that I would be skeptical initially.

What I meant when I said statements motivated by race were frowned on was that perceived racist or prejudiced statements were frowned on. And folks of all color can make them, even though that doesn't mean they evenly spread.

As for some priviledged groups and occupations that exclude minorities I agree there is still too much of that going on, that includes in sports. I see it as a class issue as well.

[Teaser]

13. Mark McGwire has been duly shat upon

by every sportstalk host in this country. I love hearing people bash McGwire. What a twisted little fraud he is.

[McCamy Taylor]

16. Google Mark McGwire-Steroids 300,000, Barry Bonds-Streoids 2 mill

When you can Google and find 7 times as much media hype over one players supposed (but not admitted) steroid use as over another players pretty much admitted steroid use, and they are both mega-super stars, you have to start wondering is there a bit of media bias here.

It can't just be that Bonds is still playing. Because Mark McGwire has a bigger fan base, being a more likeable guy, so there should be more people interested in hearing about him and his steroid use, right? Unless reporters dont want to write about the more popular McGwire's steroid use or figure it isnt as newsworthy or as likely to sell copy.

300,000 for McGwire based upon an admission to Congress vs. 2,000,000 for Bonds based upon two books that other people have written. Seems like a whole lot more people would rather talk about Bonds. And which player's crisis caused George Mitchell to oversee a three ring media circus?

(I have used each of them exactly once in my own site at Grand Theft Election Ohio to make political points about Republicans)

[ieoeja]

20. Two Points

1. Mark McGwire denies steroids use as well. Nobody believes him either.

2. Mark McGwire retired years ago.

[rinsd]

31. Dude, McGwire retired 5 YEARS ago

Barry's playing, his chase of Ruth and Aaron and his dumbass reality show keep his name mentioned about a million times more than McGwire. Add to that a sensational book that is finally forcing MLB to REALLY get tough on steroids(as soon as the book came out 1st offense went to 50 games) and yeah the word steroids and bonds will definitely come up more than McGwire. Barry also gets more ink than Gary Sheffield, IROD, Giambi, Piazza and a whole slew of people connected with steroids (explicitly and rumored) because he is that great a player and household name that he will always be the lead in any steroids story. We're talking about one of the 5 best players EVER, this is a big deal beased on his stature alone.

In addition to that Barry is part of the focus of a major Federal investigation in steroids distribution and has been for a couple of years now. Surely in all your exhaustive google research you came across BALCO.

McGwire's first real taint(though the andro thing did not go over well) came from Jose Canseco's book, who most everyone wrote off at the time as publicity seeking douche. Well after the Congressional hearings, that has changed. Big Mac gets ripped regularly on sport talk shows(I know it isn't google, its actually what people involved in sports are talking about) and that will only continue to grow as the voting for the HOF nears. You'll see many a high horse article talking about betrayal and the need to make an example of Big Mac and deny him a place in the HOF. Alot of fans didn't like Barry to begin with because he is largely seen as an asshole and his treatment just desserts. But betrayal is even worse.

And for someone who started this thread citing their cluelessness dealing with pro sports, you make very large leaps in your conclusions.

[blondeatlast]

38. McGwire's retired. You said you know little about sports.

As for a comparison between Bonds and McGwire?

Well, they are both major league big fat son of bitching asshole turds and I haven't got the time of day for either of them.

[AngryAmish]

18. "I don't sign for white people" - Barry Bonds

Mr. Bonds does have his own racial issues.

[McCamy Taylor]

21. I read that one, too. Also read Bond's response, which was that

he didn't recall it happening and didnt know who the author was. So, we get to decide who told the truth. Interesting that just about everyone believes the guy who included it in his book. Very interesting that so many people are so fascinated by this vignette. They so dearly want to believe that Barry Bonds HATES them. You know what Freud called this, right? Projection.

Here is the comic I did for my site. It is about election fraud.

http://www.grandtheftelectionohio.com/Flash/060326/060326.htm

Bonds pisses people off. This makes them uncomfortable. It is sooo much easier on the conscience if they can tell themselves "He hates me because I am white."

[AngryAmish]

23. Ron Kittle has quite a good reputation

He has no reason to make things up about Mr. Bonds. It is very easy for Mr. Bonds to say he does not remember doing something that rotten.

Sorry, the story has a ring of truth to it, and since I was not there, I have to make my judgment about the story.

[McCamy Taylor]

27. Valid point.

Be careful about the "ring of truth" argument. This is the same one that they are using against Rep. McKinney right now. When you want people to believe a story you make it comform with their preexisting prejudices. People believe that police are racist, McKinney wont put up with crap, so they believe that an officer might step over the line with an African-american woman, and McKinney might get mad as hell at not being afforded the respect due a Congresswoman. With Bonds, they have all heard that he wouldnt play in Boston, because he said the city was still too racist. So, when a white player says that Bonds wouldn't contribute to that player's charity because of the player's race, they think "Yeah, that Bonds has a real grudge against white people."

I find the story very hard to believe. Amazingly difficult to believe. I am a writer of fiction, and if I inserted that in a novel, no one would buy it at face value. A more likely explanation would be that the character being solicited was tired of giving away stuff and chose the simplest way to get rid of someone---not a tactful way of getting rid of that person, but hey, Bonds does not act like someone who cares a whole lot what people think about him. A simple way to check would be to see if he was given to any charities which are not solely African-american. Has anyone bothered to do this?

[rinsd]

32. Why do you assume the Boston thing is wide spread knowledge?

Most baseball fans think Barry is a jerk because well the writers say he's a jerk, his teammates say he's a jerk, even his so called friends say he's a jerk.

Very few baseball fans perceive Barry as racist and I think you would be lucky to find 2 out of 10 baseball fans who could match both the "I don't sign for white people" or "Boston is a racist city" and match them up to Barry Bonds. Sure they caused waves at the time but there is such a volume of material it kind of gets "lost" for lack of a better term. Take Carl Everett as an example, he is mostly know for being batshit crazy and a damn good player. Now, I could relate the half dozens crazy things he has said or done over the years but most fans on the street would be lucky to name 2. But they do know that Carl is a nut. Same with Barry, you don't have to know every story to get the impression that the man is a jerk.

And as far as credibility in the he said he said debate, Barry Bonds is proven liar and possible perjurer.

[phylny]

25. Is it okay if we don't like him because he's mean and nasty? n/t

[saltpoint]

22. I think it's about cheating. It sounds to me as if Mark McGuire and

Barry Bonds and who knows how many other athletes all cheated.

They took a compound that grows their muscles to the size of submarines.

That's cheating.

___
added: We have no record that Willie Mays or Roberto Clemente used artificial boosters, and yet their performance as athletes was consistently sterling. I'm a fan of the game and I want individuals' talent to prevail, not some bio-super-juice jammed into someone's butt to enhance performance.

[H2O Man]

24. Nope.

While there may be a few "fans" who do not like Bonds because of his race, the attempt to call this racism is very weak. It requires one to suspend knowledge about the widespread concern about the abuse of steroids in sports, including baseball. It is without merit.

[sendero]

30. The toothpaste..

.. is out of the tube. By that I mean steroids in professional sports. The time to have worried about this is long past.

Fact is, people whose multimillion dollar careers depend on their bodies are going to use steroids. I'm convinced it is already way, way, way more widespread than is generally believed.

So we can test, and new compounds that elude testing will be developed. We can play all sorts of games but know this - you can no more get steroids out of pro sports than you can get pot off of college campuses. It's not going to happen. Deal.

[McCamy Taylor]

33. Some have said Bonds has not suffered like Hank Aaron so he

can't complain of racism. I decided to find out how Aaron suffered. First, keep in mind that young Barry Bonds would have witnessed all of the events below happening to Hank Aaron. I.e he would have seen how America reacts to a black man who is about to break Babe Ruth's home run record. Might make a man get a little bit worried. Especialy if he gets racist letters himself. A USA Today sports reporter told Olberman that Bonds receives racists letters on a regular basis and that those letters had been getting more frequent recently. Keith didnt bat an eye. I guess racist letters are sort of expected from sports fans. They sound like an unsavory breed.


First this interesting quote from a biographer of Aaron

"BERKES: Is that a metaphor to you of the racial disparity in America?

Mr. TOLAN: I think that certainly you could say, `Well, you know, what about Michael Jordan and what about so many African-American stars today that do get the ink?' And those are good points, but I think when you combine what people like Aaron and then in very different ways, Muhammad Ali and John Carlos and Tommie Smith, the Olympic sprinters, the fact that they were black and speaking out really contrasts them with the people like Michael Jordan, who basically are all about endorsements. Those factors, outspokenness with race, that I think--yeah, that is a metaphor for who gets recognized.

BERKES: Sandy Tolan is author of "Me and Hank: A Boy and His Hero, Twenty-Five Years Later.""

Here is the first link under "Hank Aaron Racism" an ESPN site that describes the nasty letters that northern fans of Babe Ruth started sending Aaron in the 1970s (we arent talking back in segregation time here, folks, this is the 1970s when people were supposed to know better--a case could be made that the US at that time was a better, more tolerant place then than it is now) hate mail and death threats as he approached the record.

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00006764.html

"The chase to beat the Babe heated up in the summer of 1973. So did the mail. Aaron needed a secretary to sort it as he received more than an estimated 3,000 letters a day, more than any American outside of politics. Unfortunately, racists did much of the writing. A sampling:

"Dear N----- Henry,
You are (not) going to break this record established by the great Babe Ruth if I can help it. ... Whites are far more superior than jungle bunnies. . My gun is watching your every black move."

"Dear Henry Aaron,
How about some sickle cell anemia, Hank?"

The letters came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities. They were filled with hate. More hate than Aaron had ever imagined. "This," Aaron said later about the letters, "changed me.""



Let's see. Bonds has been stigmatized for pointing out the racism that still exists in America and in baseball. He gets racist mail. He lives in a country that is becoming MORE tolerant of racism (in the 1970s the trend was the other way). But Bonds has not suffered racism while achieving celebrity as a baseball player the way that Hank Aaron did.

I guess I am missing something.

Oh, that's right. Bonds is playing baseball at a time when the owners expect their athletes to poison their bodies with chemicals that can cause premature death, cancer, psychosis and all kinds of other problems including hostile aggressive behavior. If you dont play along, then your career is over. And if the player gets caught, HE is the one who is blamed, not the owners. They pretend they are innocent, and they expect the player to throw himself on his sword, for the good of baseball, since he is less than nothing, just a thing to be used by the baseball industry to generate revenue.

Silly me. I guess that makes all the difference.

Show of hands, how many people expect George Mitchell to name even a single owner in his steroid investigation?

[McCamy Taylor]

34. "Bonds is an Asshole" is like saying "Her skirt was too short" guys.

I am not the only one who is wondering if this public demand to take down Bonds has something to do with his approach on Babe Ruth's record. Hey, they did the same thing to Hank Aaron just 39 years ago. Some of the same racist's who sent Aaron letters are probably sending them to Bonds now. And we all know our GOP leaders love to respond to their conservative base.

http://www.counterpunch.org/santina01212005.html

"And yet, oddly enough, there was no hue and cry in 1998 when Mark McGuire, blown up like the Pillsbury doughboy from ingesting tablespoons of something other than applesauce, broke Roger Maris' homerun record. McGuire admitted that he was taking androstenedione, a substance banned by the Olympic Committee, the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He didn't stop taking it until the following season.

"No fuss. No outrage. No talk show blather. No senators screaming into the television cameras about the morality of athletes and sanctity of records. McGuire is white.

"The current target of wrath over suspected substance abuse is Barry Bonds, a home run hitter who will probably break the immortal Babe Ruth's record during the coming season. Bonds is an African American."


Regarding Boston, I found out that the Red Sox did not integrate until 1959, the last major league team to do so. For shame! Boston deserves to have this fact publicized. And it was Bonds who suffered a sports press trouncing for stating his opinion about the matter.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/oct/redsox/


The larger issue that has emerged here is that sports wants to pretend that it lives in a Never never land that is FREE OF RACISM. This issue includes Bonds but is way bigger than Bonds, so I am going to bid adieu to this thread and start a Racism in Professional Sports thread.

[rinsd]

35. You're comparing some getting cuaght cheating with rape?

Are you really that clueless?

"I am not the only one who is wondering if this public demand to take down Bonds has something to do with his approach on Babe Ruth's record"

What record would that be? The HR record is held by Hank Aaron.

Oh and Don Santina's article is so sloppily written and researched he didn't even spell McGwire's name correctly.

"And yet, oddly enough, there was no hue and cry in 1998 when Mark McGuire, blown up like the Pillsbury doughboy from ingesting tablespoons of something other than applesauce, broke Roger Maris' homerun record."

Because baseball shamefully wanted to keep their dirty little secret, when the andro thing came out things started to change. Players were looked at different and the rumors began to grow. Still the MLB and the plyaers union waited far too long to address this. It took a fed investigation to get them off their asses.

"McGuire admitted that he was taking androstenedione, a substance banned by the Olympic Committee, the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He didn't stop taking it until the following season.

No fuss. No outrage. No talk show blather."

What a bald faced lie. The andro story was huge, dominating sports talk and even the news since the HR derby became such a big deal.

"McGuire is white."

Cool he gets something right.

"
That's a .615 winning percentage! Baseball is a game in which a .300 hitter is regarded as a huge success. In competition, the white players were blown away by the black players."

.600 ball is good. The comparison to the .300 hitter might as well be a textbook example of apples and oranges.

I would rip the rest of his article for its logical fallacies, its stupid stereotypes and other outright errors but we should keep this focused on Bonds.

"The larger issue that has emerged here is that sports wants to pretend that it lives in a Never never land that is FREE OF RACISM. This issue includes Bonds but is way bigger than Bonds, so I am going to bid adieu to this thread and start a Racism in Professional Sports thread."

No, racism will never disappear and most certainly still exists in sports but this is a red herring in terms of Bonds guilt or innocence.

[McCamy Taylor]

36. Bonds is approaching RUTH's record, not Aarons. So why the fuss?

People say it is because of Aaron's record, but the timing tells me it is because of Ruth's, and I see a whole lot of references to Babe Ruth.

Everyone else is going on their gut instinct, so I am going to have to go on mine. I've lived in this country all my life, and there are a lot of good old boys somewhere who are mad as hell that a black man beat Babe Ruth's record back in the 1970's, and they are ready for some payback. And now they have found an opportunity to get it.

Barry Bonds is fixing to pay for Hank Aaron's sins.

[onenote]

37. Ruth doesn't hold any record

Unless you consider having the second most home runs in a career to be a record. But moving past Ruth into second place is a big deal not because Ruth was white but because he probably is the greatest icon in the game's history. He's had more movies made about him, more books about him, etc.

If McGwire was still playing and was about to overtake Ruth, there would be a lot of attention and criticism as well. To the extent that McGwire might be treated a bit less harshly (and I don't know that he would be) it would again have nothing to do with race and much more to do that McGwire cultivated a positive relationship with the press over his career, while Bonds has spent much of his career treating the press as an enemy.

onenote

[blondeatlast]

39. Don't confuse the issue with the facts.

Didn't you read the OP's opening line?

Again, my take:

McGwire=arrogant turd, but savvy marketer.

Bonds=arrogant turd, totally unsavvy marketer.

They can both rot for all I care--and I saw Hank Aaron hit that homer!

[rinsd]

40. Again, Babe Ruth does not hold any record.

Ruth's 714 HRS is a milestone, a significant one to be sure but it is not a record.

[bmbmd]

41. And when the dust settles, Babe Ruth

will still be the Babe. Barry Bonds, much to his disappointment, will still be Barry Bonds.