USA: BASEBALL - Controversy swirls around Barry Bonds as he chases home run record

He's been in the major leagues for nearly two decades, but Barry Bonds may be facing the most difficult moment of his career. At each Giants home game in San Francisco's waterfront ballpark, fans pack the stadium waiting for Bonds to hit the home run that will bring him within arm's length of Hank Aaron's tally: a career total of 755. But each day, Bonds is also confronted with boos from fans who resent his achievements and harbour deep anger over his alleged -- and so far unproven -- steroid use. Speaking to reporters before Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves (July 26), Bonds had a hard time finding words to describe the pressure. "I can explain about getting a big huge rash on my forehead and things like that, but I can't explain anything other than that right now," he said, laughing. But the world is watching and listening, all the same. A phalanx of journalists has descended upon AT&T Ballpark, some from as far away as Japan, all to follow the drama of this week's games. And though Giants' manager Bruce Bochy has stayed focused on the business of winning, he understands that "baseball has become a global game and I can see why it's created interest everywhere." Most fans -- even those who resent the fact that Bonds will soon surpass their hero Aaron -- admit that the left-fielder has exceptional skill. "It's been fun to watch him over the last ten or fifteen years," said Giants fan Mark Willens, adding: "I think most people respect him as a player." But that didn't stop Braves fan Cary Williams from showing up in a custom-made T-shirt with the word "Roids" (short for "steroids") emblazoned on the front, and the phrase "I cheated" alongside Bonds' number 25 on the back. In Thursday's game, Bonds logged one base hit in four at-bats. Fans shrugged their shoulders, and the numbers on the stadium wall will stay, as they were, at 753.

ITN Source | July 28, 2007

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