Pardon us if we do not join the ovation for Barry Bonds as he circles the bases after hitting No. 756, whenever it finally, inevitably, happens.

Yes, he will have out-hammered Hammerin' Hank, who out-swatted the Sultan of Swat. But if a record is achieved without honor, can the holder of it be honored? Should he be?

The truth is, the new home run record - the grandest record in a sport whose charm, in large part, is numbers and records and history - will be forever tainted.

Contrast this summer's debate over Bonds' pursuit of the home run record to the atmosphere 30-plus years ago when Hank Aaron was in pursuit of Babe Ruth's tally. Not only was the legitimacy of Aaron's quest never in doubt, his conduct and public demeanor were beyond reproach - and this despite his enduring an onslaught of racist mail and even threats from those horrified at the prospect of a black man breaking Ruth's record.

Indeed, the summer of 1973 - the year before the record fell - became a time of national introspection and education, as many Americans rebuked the racists and rallied to Aaron's defense as he closed in on the mark. Even Ruth's aging widow declared, "The Babe loved baseball so very much; I know he was pulling for Hank Aaron to break his record."

True, we do not know for a fact that Bonds used steroids to enhance his already exceptional athletic gifts. But the evidence points in that direction, and he has done little to rebut it (nor to assist investigators in learning exactly what happened).

If he were a CEO, Bonds would be Joe Nacchio. If he were a politician, he would be Richard Nixon. Both cheated for personal gain, then denied it while vigorously trying to thwart attempts by investigators to learn the truth (ultimately to be exposed).

America indeed is an innocent-until-proven-guilty land. But the court of public opinion sometimes judges more realistically - and more accurately - than the court of law. Until Bonds stops stonewalling, his achievement will be suspect.

None of this is to diminish the feat itself. Hitting a baseball thrown by accomplished professional pitchers is arguably the most difficult task in all of sports. Hitting it over the fence more than 750 times is astounding, no matter who's pitching.

Still, the principles of fair play demand no unnatural advantage for one side; no artificial enhancements to your God-given abilities; and no alteration of the rules for one over the other. Those principles apply not only to sports but to every walk of life. In short, no cheating.

If there is any good news in this situation, it's that the new home run mark may not last as long as Aaron's or Ruth's. While Bonds is swinging for new records, 32-year-old Alex Rodriguez is almost two-thirds of the way there in only his 12th full season. This is Bonds' 21st.

We know how Bonds stacks up against Aaron; both as a man and a slugger, Bonds falls short. But we'd even argue that there is no comparison between the Giants left fielder and Ruth, either.

Hitting the modern-day assortment of pitches with the aid of performance-enhancing substances is the total opposite of - and much easier than - hitting spitballs with a perpetual hangover.