Ruth, he's not

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Barry Bonds now has the same number of home runs as Babe Ruth, and that's about all they have in common.

Soon, or maybe sometime before the All-Star break, Bonds will have more home runs than Ruth, and it won't mean a thing, because 1) 714 home runs are not a record and 2) if anyone's place in baseball history is secure, it's that of George Herman Ruth.

There often is an irrational fear that when someone is passed in the record books, they will be forgotten, and that's just, well, irrational.

There were those who didn't want Roger Maris to break Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs because he wasn't a real Yankee.

There were those who didn't want Hank Aaron to break Ruth's career home run record because he was black, and they were racist.

See, these irrational types come in all shapes and sizes.

But there is no reason to be protective of records, even if you believe mounting reports that Bonds' home run totals are artificially enhanced.

That's because the pursuits of Maris, Aaron and now Bonds have just the opposite effect. They help everyone remember Babe Ruth.

In 1998, when Mark McGwire erased Maris' record of 61 home runs in a season, Maris' children were sitting in the front row at Busch Stadium.

Three years later, Billy Crystal made an average HBO movie about Maris and Mickey Mantle called "61*."