How would you feel if you threw a party and two of the three guests of honor declined to attend?

That's the scenario facing Major League Baseball as Barry Bonds closes in on one of sports' most revered records, the career home run title. Short of a career ending injury or a suspension by MLB – more on that later – Bonds is poised to supplant Hank Aaron as the all-time home run king sometime this summer.

Bonds, of course, will be there. A second guest has confirmed his nonattendance. Aaron has emphatically stated that he will be unavailable, regardless of where or when the event takes place. When asked recently whether he had any thoughts on Bonds' impending achievement, Aaron laughingly told reporters "I don't have any thoughts about Barry. I don't even know how to spell his name."

For the record, Bonds' name is easier to spell than Aaron's. And although Aaron may have legitimate reasons for being bitter – about Bonds' presumed chemical assistance during his assault on the record, about his own treatment during his pursuit of the record formerly held by Babe Ruth, about playing in an era when racial discrimination was more overt than it is today – his comment was about as funny as comedian Michael Richards' rant.

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