Every time Barry Bonds swings his bat, he has a chance of becoming history’s all-time home run king. So why doesn’t anybody care?

It’s not just the steroids.

Things were different on April 9, 1974, when Hank Aaron hit home run 715 to pass Babe Ruth. Everybody cared. I was nine years old. I watched it on TV. So did practically every kid in my class. I cut out all the pictures from the newspaper the next day and hung them on my bedroom wall. This wasn’t just a sports thing; it was a national drama.

So why is it just us baseball fans who are even aware that Bonds stands at 755, tied with Aaron’s final career mark?

1. Sports’ integrity problems. Steroids play a part, of course. I happen to think that Bonds is among the five best hitters of all time, but how did he add so much muscle and hit 310 homers after his 36th birthday? Every home run record from 1998-2004, baseball’s “steroid era” seems suspect. And the last time we all got excited (over McGwire and Sosa in ‘98) we were duped. But it isn’t just ‘roids nor is it just baseball. It’s Michael Vick, the Tour de France, Pac Man Jones, and Tim Donaghy…and fans are cynical, which may be a good thing.
2. Fragmentation of attention. There were four channels (six in good weather) on my TV in 1974. Today people have 60 channels or 250 or maybe even 755. Our interests are segmented and catered to by the Golf Channel, The Food Channel, the Cartoon Network, Disney, etc. There are so few things that we ALL pay attention to any more.
3. Playing instead of watching. Why watch other people play games when you can play them yourself (in the real and virtual worlds), and when there are so many new ways to play (skateboarding, paint ball, four-wheeling, trail-biking)? This is the age of participation, which is why Time named You person of the year.
4. Bonds. The media has always hated him, and the feeling is mutual. I credit Bonds and Ken Griffey, Jr., with popularizing the arrogant style of showing up the pitcher after a home run.

Aaron never did it that way. He played hard, played fair, and played well for decades. Maybe the best thing about Bonds’ approaching record is that it draws Hank Aaron back into baseball’s consciousness.