Busiest Day Ever?

So, um, the past day has been kind of crazy in the sports world. Where to start?

I guess I'll kick it off with the PGA Championship, since that's consumed my life this week. Tiger Woods' press conference was interesting in that the room was packed and he was his usual charming self. I thought Phil Mickelson was comical, pitied Sergio Garcia for being haunted by the British Open and enjoyed chatting with Retief Goosen, David Toms and my boy Fred Funk. I'm excited for the tourney to start tomorrow...but that's a story for another day.

The big news in my world is Reggie Miller is reportedly considering coming out of retirement. In a related story, the sky is falling and my world is collapsing. Today's not the day to comment on speculation, so I'll save that for later...

...Because I want to talk about Barry Bonds, who became the home run king by belting No. 756 to right field last night. I've been watching his at-bats periodically but was content to ignore it yesterday (I was physically tired and tired of the whole HR watch). So I started brushing my teeth to head to bed early and turned on the TV for some background noise. Five seconds later, Bonds hit No. 756. Good timing, eh?

I've said repeatedly that I think Bonds did steroids. I can't prove it, but a quick read of "Game of Shadows" should convince you, if the size of his muscles, his ability to seemingly reverse the aging process and his expanding head don't do it for you.

But does that taint his record?

I think so. It's pretty simple, actually. Bonds cheated. If you break the rules, you don't deserve the record. Period.

Bonds supporters claim everyone has cheated. Pitchers Bonds faced used steroids, too. Ty Cobb tried to hurt opponents by digging his cleats into them. Gaylord Perry pitched spitballs that were unfair to hitters.

There's another wrinkle to things. Other professions use performance-enhancing drugs. Pain-killers for sore football players. Everyone uses coffee to stay awake. And, frankly, I'd be lost this week at the PGA Championship without Starbucks, Pepsi and an afternoon ice cream (sugar) break.

But there's a big difference between caffeine and HGH. Caffeine is legal. Steroids are not. There's a reason the feds shut down BALCO, and it has nothing to do with preserving the sanctity of baseball.

Bonds would not have broken the record had he not used steroids. He doesn't deserve the record. But we can't change the past (as Mark McGwire taught us). We technically can't prove that he broke any rules (or laws), so we can't add an * next to his record. It stands.

So what's the solution here?

A couple of options: 1) Prove Bonds did steroids, either through drug testing, grand jury testimony or a federal indictment. 2) Put an * next to the whole era and leave it at that. 3) Pray A-Rod breaks the record soon.

Not great options. Here's the best: Stop caring about the past.

Baseball is the only major sport that puts an extreme emphasis on records. Who's scored the most touchdowns in NFL history? How many points has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored? How many KOs did Ali have? Who has the most shutouts in NHL history? Few fans (or reporters) know those answers, but most know about Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak, Ted Williams' .406 season or Bonds' 756 homers.

We can't change Bonds' record. Or the fact that he probably juiced. Or the fact that he's a jerk.

But we can change our attitudes towards the record. By devaluing his accomplishments, we deprive him of the one thing he craves: Attention.

How's that for karma?