Warren Goldstein on Barry Bonds

Full story can be found in the Chronicle, Newsday, The Courant and the Star Tribue.

San Francisco outfielder Barry Bonds, one of the most talented hitters to play Major League Baseball, as well as the single most disliked player in the game, is about to break one of the most hallowed records in all sports: Henry Aaron's lifetime home run record of 755, which Aaron took away from the game's greatest player, the legendary and beloved George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

Bonds' run-up to this extraordinary record is complicated by many factors, including the likelihood that he used steroids for several years, probably lied about it to a grand jury and could be indicted for perjury sometime this year. He also appears to be a genuinely unpleasant human being.

Nevertheless, his family pedigree reaches deep into baseball's history of segregation and reintegration. Beyond his father, Bobby, a 14-year major leaguer, there's his godfather, Hall of Fame slugging outfielder Willie Mays, who began with the Birmingham Black Barons and then integrated the New York Giants in 1951, and whose 660 home runs now ranks fourth in baseball history.