Those declaring Barry Bonds breaking Henry Aaron's home run record the end of sports civilization are as in touch with reality as Paris Hilton or well ... a reality TV star. Yes, there is more evidence linking Bonds to steroids than Sergio Garcia to bad fashion sense.

Bonds broke the record under the standard conditions of his times. If you don't think the majority of major league baseball was on performance enhancing drugs - and still is on the more potent and undetectable HGH - the Tooth Fairy is probably offering you a ride along on her rounds tonight. Those big jumps in radar gun fastball readings in the late 90s aren't just happenstance. And do you really think it's coincidence that pitchers started rediscovering their dominance in their 40s and started racking up Cy Youngs again?

There is virtually no competitive imbalance in Bonds' home run binge - except the fact that he may have been more meticulous about the extra boost that most of his peers were also getting.

Bonds earned his record under the playing field of his time, just like Tiger Woods dominates in the circumstances of his time and Jack Nicklaus set the majors mark under the conditions of his time.

Now no one thinks that Woods and Nicklaus took steroids themselves. But you can be sure that Tiger's played against a number of guys on some form of the juice. If anything Gary Player's numbers seem low.

The reason steroids are a bigger deal in golf than in baseball, as I wrote in this column, is because golf fans believe it's still a gentleman's game. Golf fans care much more about steroids than baseball fans do.

The majority of baseball fans are indifferent to what these guys put into their bodies. Actual baseball fans are much more reality based than most sportswriters. Golf fans still hold onto their naivity and fantasies of fair play.

Which isn't a bad thing. Just don't rip on Bonds for dealing in the reality of his time.

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