Another imperfect entry into the record book: How ... perfect

A ball loaded the count, and Bonds then grounded foul by inches. Bacsik received the baseball from Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young but seemed surprised that Bonds was asking for a replacement. Bacsik threw in the old one, got a new specially marked ball from umpire John Hirschbeck and served up a slice of history.

The first person to greet Bonds at the plate was his son, Nikolai, a Giants batboy. Next was teammate Ryan Klesko, then Omar Vizquel, Mark Sweeney and manager Bruce Bochy. On the scoreboard, a congratulatory message played from Aaron. Willie Mays came out of the stands. So did a drunken idiot who was tackled in center field and manhandled by multiple security officials. Fireworks were set off, and for more than a minute a smoky haze and orange-and-black streamers settled over the field.

The fallout elsewhere will be fascinating to track. Will Bonds, who is still dogged by a federal investigation on accusations that he lied under oath about steroids, be indicted and convicted and even jailed? If convicted, would his record be stripped? Or marred by an asterisk? Even if Bonds avoids criminal charges, will the steroid accusations keep him out of the Hall of Fame, as is the case so far with steroid-era compatriot Mark McGwire?

However those questions are answered, Bonds is just another controversial star in a sullied sport. While baseball has spawned so many anti-heroes, the other major U.S. sports have seen more palatable athletes claim their top records. The NFL's leaders in rushing (Emmitt Smith), passing (Dan Marino) and receiving (Jerry Rice) were immaculate as pros. So were the all-time scoring leaders of the NBA (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and NHL (Wayne Gretzky).

Baseball got Ty Cobb. And Shoeless Joe Jackson. And Pete Rose.

And now, baseball gets Barry Bonds. That's not appalling.

That's appropriate.