No Cele-Barry-tion

My friends, this is a sad time in baseball. When a young boy first learns that majestic lore of baseball history in records, he memorized the numbers 714 and 755. These totals were posted by two immortal athletes, embraced by baseball society. If another man came close to these marks, the young boy learned, it would be a time of jubilee and excitement, and the chase would grab the attention of every person who ever had a care for America's pastime. Televisions in every house would be tuned to the station on which his team was playing. At school, the boy and his friends would talk about what the announcer's celebratory call would be, and how excited they would be when another man entered the realm in which only 714 and 755 reside. These two men who have reached the plateau are today defined by their career home run totals. The possibility of a new number was supposed to invigorate this nation.
Sadly, as you know, this is not the case. Mr. Bonds just hit his 713th career homer, something many people did not think they would ever see. It will probably be mentioned in some newscasts, and get a small story somewhere in sports sections across the country. As a baseball fan, I am deeply saddened. I remember '98, when the most common discussion nationwide was about Mark and Sammy. Although that race appears to have been tainted, at least baseball again dominated America, as it had for so many decades during the first 2/3 of the 20th Century.
Now, Bonds' entry into the category of top two sluggers of all time is somewhat ignored. This post is not about steroids, but rather about how the entire controversy is drowning one of the greatest athletic achievements ever. I want to jump up and down every time Barry hits one. I want to have the desire to run to the television every time he's at bat. I want to hear people that never follow baseball discussing Barry's milestone home runs. But I realize that this cannot happen. We are mixed up in a debate over morality, truth and honesty. There is nothing I can do about the situation. I can only wait for a more celebrated athlete to reach these high numbers, and see baseball seep into the hearts of Americans once again. Alex and Albert, I am sitting here, waiting.