Rays/MLB

Many do not want Bonds to pass Aaron

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 20, 2006

Almost half of baseball fans are rooting against Barry Bonds in his bid to break Hank Aaron's home run record.

An Associated Press-AOL poll showed 48 percent of fans want Bonds to fall short of Aaron's mark, 33 percent want Bonds to break it and 16 percent don't care. Shadowed by steroid allegations, Bonds is 21 behind Aaron.

"It saddens me," Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, said. "I think true baseball fans who know and understand everything Barry has done to get to this point should be pulling for him. They should feel fortunate that they'll have the opportunity to see him break probably the most hallowed record in sports."

In the 1940s and 1950s, when Babe Ruth held the record, there was no doubt baseball was America's No. 1 sport. But today, only one-third call themselves fans.

Many have trouble with the large salaries. Players made an average of nearly $3-million this season. About 28 percent said salaries were baseball's top problem followed by the high cost of attending games (21) and steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (19). In April 2005, an AP-AOL poll found 27 percent picked banned substances as baseball's No. 1 problem.

LABOR TALKS: Owners and the union, who have been meeting daily, hope to have a new labor deal finished by this weekend, the New York Times reported. Revenue sharing and a payroll tax have been the top matters discussed, but no radical changes are expected from the current deal, which expires Dec. 19.

MARINERS: John McLaren was hired as bench coach four years after leaving the same job to go to Tampa Bay with Lou Piniella. McLaren spent last season scouting for the Devil Rays and replaces Ron Hassey, who resigned in September.

YANKEES: First baseman Jason Giambi had surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left wrist and is expected to be ready by spring training. Also, utilityman Andy Phillips had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to be ready by spring training.

[Last modified October 20, 2006, 01:48:16]