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Kudos to Brian Lehrer for not letting William C. Rhoden get away with blaming the distaste for Barry Bonds on race. People like Mr. Rhoden perpetuate racial tensions by stereotyping "white" baseball fans and making blanket accusations about the "Euro-centric" baseball power structure. Give me a break. I see Mr. Rhoden, you don't want to pass judgment on Barry Bonds because there isn't enough evidence he did steroids but you can charge MLB for preferential hiring of Latino players with no proof. No contradiction there. And your generalization that white fans only like black ball players that pander to the establishment is outrageous. Let's imagine a white news reporter making a similar generalization about black fans. Do yourself a favor and go to anger management. Do the rest of the African-Americans in this country (especially baseball players) a favor and stop qualifying their successes or failures with your racial prejudices.

You are somewhat correct in who did what and when. Was Cal Ripken able to get his record due some substance that helped him get to where he ended up? who knows. Barry's sin may will be his attitude to the public and the press.

I truly rooted for Hank Aaron, not because he was black or white, but because he had played for so long, and truly deserved the record.

Barry's veiled comment about baseball players should show up and cheer for other ball players when records are broken, in reference to someday seeing Alex Rodriquez breaking his record.
Barry is truly talented, whether had he taken the steriods or not, he still is talented. If he did take them, why, he was so talented without them. It wasn't necessary.

I won't root for Barry, just as I now discount a whole slew of players from Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palimero et al.

I have no doubt that Bonds used drugs and it was not difficult for me to come to that conclusion. And I didn't think my opinion had much to do with race.

But then I realized that I've been resisting the idea that Lance Armstrong used drugs, and the circumstantial evidence against him may be as strong as that against Bonds.

Now I have to explore why I have a problem believing something bad about Armstrong but don't have the same problem believing it about Bonds. I hope it's not race, but I'm afraid that race might be a factor.

I can never understand why there is more hooplah about Barry Bonds and steriod use (which almost everyone in baseball was encouraged to do at a certain point) than there is about the fact that many of the most heralded records (like Babe Ruth's original record) were set when Blacks weren't even allowed to play. Why doesn't Babe Ruth get an asterix next to his name qualifying his great record?

This is a red herring. Why not ask how much better Babe Ruth could have been had he not been an overweight beer drinker; or is Hank Aaron the African American standard -- it's okay to be Black and break a record if you're squeaky clean. I'm not so sure steroids (others have been accused but haven't come near Barry Bonds) can be blamed for every stellar performance any more than they can be ignored if an accused or confirmed user didn't match Bond's performance. Give his due and I say that as a Yankee fan!

Kudos to Bonds! Anytime anyone challenges themselves is a great thing.

I am not suprised by the racial divide over responses to Barry Bonds.

But, isn't it more upsetting that many of the most heralded old-time records (like Babe Ruth's original record) were set by people playing when Black people weren't even allowed into the game.

Now, Barry Bonds is playing -- no more likely to be using steriods than any other player -- but he is being targetted for it.

Rhoden seems to be going waaaay out of his way to overlook the possibilty of Bond's drug/steroid use.

Think of a politcal reporter doing the same thing with a politician, ignoring all the clues of say, corruption, absent catching the guy on tape or film.

Bond's performance correlated against his age is in stark contrast to what? 100 years of experience of every other major league player.
Completely unprecedented even if he hit the same number of home runs in his mid-30's, let alone hitting far more in what is normally the sunset of a career.

Race cannot be enough of an argument to blind us to this.

Rhoden is a nice guy, but you have to be an idiot to think Barry Bonds was not on Steroids. just llok at his increase in hat and shoe size!!! what is the standard for showing that he is guilty??

I don't really feel like Macgwire got a free ride any more than Sosa did. Did you notice how Macgwire walked right into the hall of fame on the first ballot??

bonds is an asshole and it's got nothing to do with being black.

It is the likes of Barry Bonds and the steroids questions that makes all sport sad.

In Yugoslavia I trained seriously in bodybuilding for two years and chewed supplements to the cost of $22,000 excluding the cost of my trainer and special food needs. When the Yugoslav competitions came I didn’t even make it the auditorium stage. Every single person had exceeded my efforts with a one-month course of intravenous injection of testosterone and by product inhibitors.

Unfortunately with the large sums of money involved in today’s sport, you can accept for normal that enhancers are virtually statuary.

Maurice O’ Neill
Teaneck.

There is definitely a racial element to the Barry Bonds saga, but ultimately I feel the images he projects is just so hard to like and root for. He puts himself above so much of the "real world" with the way he treats the media that it's no surprise so many people are polarized by him. Breaking the record has little to do with my hate for him, it's his attitude and ignorance.

Barry's real offense is being rude to reporters for 20 years. If he was genial to reporters like MJ and Kirby Puckett then this would not be an issue.

Truly, there are no games today to talk about.
Barry is a ballplayer. Give him his due. I for one measure him for his talent, period. I am indignant that we neeed to discuss his ethnicity and truly disappointed if this poll is indeed accurate.