By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer

Thirty years down the road and STILL race has to play a part in sports fans. How shameful can we get? - JS

When it comes to rooting for Barry Bonds to become the home run champion, one factor stands out: race. An AP-Ipsos poll released Monday showed 55 percent of minority baseball fans want Bonds to set the record, while only 34 percent of non-Hispanic white baseball fans hope he passes Hank Aaron’s record.

The results mark a significant jump among minorities. Last October, just 34 percent in an AP-AOL poll were rooting for Bonds to make history.

Bonds went into Monday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs with 751 home runs, four behind Aaron.

A seven-time NL MVP, Bonds has been shadowed by steroid suspicions for several years. The San Francisco star has steadfastly denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

“When you look at the whole era of steroid use, why pick on one man?” John Primus, a black fan from Raleigh, N.C., asked at Wrigley Field. “Clean up that whole era. If he was 300 home runs down, nobody would say a word. It’s just because he’s so close.”

Brian Morse, a white fan from Peoria, Ill., was rooting against Bonds.

“He’s surly, and I’ve read a few books on him. It’s bad enough on the field, but the way he’s treated family members is disgraceful,” he said before the Giants-Cubs game. “I think these guys, especially the popular ones, are kind of heroes to kids, and Barry is just a bad example all around.”

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