Bonds ?speeds? his way back into spotlight

Bonds, Bonds, Bonds. There hasn?t been this much talk of bonds since World War II.

But the ?San Francisco Cheat? is back in the news, this time after a New York newspaper reported he tested positive for amphetamines last year. After the results came in, he reportedly said it was a result he had taken from teammate Mark Sweeney?s locker.

There are two big-time acts of stupidity there. First, if you?re Bonds, would you ever, ever, EVER again put something in your body without knowing what it was?

And secondly, if you?re Sweeney, and you have some spare speed lying around, would you EVER leave it where Bonds could get to it?

On a related subject, if he ever strings another full season together without winding up in the hoosegow, Bonds is almost a sure bet to break Hank Aaron?s home run record.

But if scandals like this keep popping up like the acne on a ?roid freak?s back, he could wind up missing his sport?s greatest honor.

Like Pete Rose, Bonds could end up on the outskirts of Cooperstown looking in.

The results of this year?s Baseball Hall of Fame balloting were announced this week, with Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn surprising no one by being selected.

Gwynn is a class act who proved during his career that while chicks may dig the longball, there?s nothing better than a solid single to keep you in the lineup. And speaking of staying in the lineup, they don?t get any better than ?Ironman? Ripken, who single-handedly saved the game after the last strike with his quest to break Lou Gehrig?s consecutive-games record.

But when the final votes were tallied, there was one well-known name who wasn?t on the list of new inductees ? and no, I?m not talking about Andre ?Hawk? Dawson, although the fact he was snubbed again is just burning me up inside.

In fact, I?m speaking of Mark McGwire, who came up short of the number of votes required to make the cut. Many writers reportedly chose not to select the former Bash Brother because of rumored use of performance-enhancers, and his actions at the Congressional hearings on steroid abuse a couple of years back.

I said it then, and I?ll repeat it now. McGwire looked like a big, bulky criminal in front of Congress, with all his ?I?m not here to talk about the past? nonsense. So if he won?t remember his past, then neither should Hall of Fame voters.

So if they?ll keep McGwire out for his allegations involving the juice, what will they think of Bonds, once his statistics top out and his career is over? Would they dare lock the new home run king out of the Hall over rumors and allegations? Will it take an actual conviction with hard evidence to keep Bonds out of Cooperstown?

As they always say, only time will tell. But I know from first-hand experience that sports writers are a resentful, spiteful lot. They?ll hold a grudge with a white-knuckle grip, especially when someone they?ve lauded as a hero turns out to be a big, bulky, sweaty, acne-encrusted cheater.

Well, Barry, look at it this way. If you break Aaron?s record, at least the bat will wind up in the Hall of Fame.