I knew there was a good chance you would not read this column after finding out its topic, but I'll try to make a point anyway: A nation of sports fans is disregarding what Barry Bonds continues to accomplish in a San Francisco Giants uniform.

As I watched the highlight of that monumental moment, I wondered if Bonds was going to hug the home plate umpire after he finished his trot -- because nobody else was there to enjoy the moment with him. When Mark McGwire broke the single-season home run record, I got to interview him after the game and made the childish mistake of hugging him before a national television audience. So far, it has been the only Ahmad Rashad-Michael Jordan moment of my short career. If you remember that night, the only people who did not hug Mark were an usher working in the upper deck and Liza Minnelli's ex-husband David Gest. (Try as I might, I just cannot get him interested in sports.) Anyway, when criticism came my way, that was my justification for the hug. I consider Mark a friend, and I was genuinely excited for what he had done. The pressure on him was immense, and for the most part he held up -- with only a few minor media blowups along the way. I couldn't blame him for those. There were not many moments when he was left alone to enjoy that incredible season. The public sentiment was with him as well. People liked what he stood for. Fans felt the same way about Sammy Sosa. Mark and Sammy were loved by their teammates, and they had a great sense of what they were doing for the popularity of the game. With Bonds, it is not that way. I believe there are three reasons that few people outside of San Francisco really care what Barry Bonds does. First, Bonds is a solo act. He is a one-man wrecking crew and the most valuable player in the league, but people can sense he is not a well-liked guy, even in his own clubhouse. He might be a better person than most think, but we will never know. Barry evidently made up his mind long ago that he did not need any help from the media to live life in the big leagues. That is well within his rights. But when you make that choice, you cannot expect those same people to paint a rosy picture about your amazing athletic ability or, more important, give you the benefit of the doubt.The second reason is the public's skepticism regarding Bonds' possible use of performance-enhancing drugs. That accusation is unfortunate but understandable. It is hard to ignore the transformation his body has undergone over the past 10 years. Having a new hat size the same as Mr. Met's can lead to questions. His body keeps getting bigger, and age does not appear to be a factor as his bat seems to get quicker every year. It is totally wrong to say that he is guilty of anything before the final chapter is written, but there is no doubt that his association with BALCO has damaged his reputation forever. Finally, there is no doubt that playing on the West Coast costs Bonds national media exposure. By the time his highlights make SportsCenter, it is old footage. In this era of Al Gore's Internet, that is not acceptable. There is no doubt this man is one of the greatest players in the history of sports. However, the package that is Barry Bonds seems sour or spoiled. Seven hundred home runs is amazing. Babe Ruth is next, and then the all-time record held by the classy Hank Aaron. The nights over the next season or two leading to Barry's official crowning as baseball's heavyweight champ will be fun, but imagine what they could be if not for his perceived arrogance.