What Bud Selig should say
If baseball commissioner Bud Selig decides not to be there when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's career home run record, he needs to explain himself.

This is the man who presided over the steroid era, the man who went in front of congress and described steroids as a "sensitive issue" -- one so sensitive he ignored it for almost a decade.

In my mind, whether Selig is in San Francisco to put his stamp of approval on the record is immaterial. The commissioner has proved himself so weak and clueless that his "stamp" is meaningless.

Still, he cannot just avoid the situation and hope it goes away. If he stays away from the historic event, a statement needs to be issued. Here's what it should say.

To the fans of Major League Baseball:

I have decided it's in the best interest of the game if I am not in attendance when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.

While it's certainly a remarkable achievement for Mr. Bonds, I have come to the conclusion it was at least in part due to his use of illegal substances.

With my belief that Bonds has cheated, I cannot look at his record as an accomplishment which deserves my praise.

Some 10 years ago, we in baseball had our suspicions some players were using drugs to attain remarkable statistics. Records fell, and attendance rose. In the wake of the 1994 baseball strike, we felt compelled to look the other way.

It was a mistake, and I am as guilty of this as anyone. Just as I have doubts about Bonds, I also had doubts about Mark McGwire and other players. By not addressing those doubts at the time, and my not attempting to clean up the sport, I feel I owe the fans an apology.

We in baseball can't change the past, but I feel by attending Bonds' home run chase, we would be repeating the mistakes of a decade ago.

Our goal now is to regain the fans' trust, with a game that is clean. My being in San Francisco would contradict that goal.

Bud Selig