Barry Bonds is king.

Barry Bonds is a chump.

Barry Bonds should break the home run record.

Barry Bonds should be sent to a remote island in the Caribbean.

There are two sides to every story, and none more public than that of Mr. Bonds.

And, I’ll come clean. I will celebrate, and celebrate hard, when Bonds passes Hank Aaron as Home Run King.

First, he is a better ballplayer, period. No questions asked, not even a discussion. The man was great the day he debuted with the Pirates.

He is better than his godfather, Willie Mays, as well.

Steroids or no steroids, the man can hit. He has always had a keen eye at the plate and generates power with his quick bat. Steroids deteriorate eyesight, yet Bonds’ walks and home runs got better as his career waned on.

And don’t give me that line, “Well, he doesn’t hustle. He skates through.” If you’re a Red Sox fan, I don’t know how many times I have heard, “Well, that’s Manny being Manny.” When you’re a fan of the team, you are willing to put up with whatever your stars want to do, whether that be Bonds or Manny Ramirez. Don’t be a hypocrite.

Secondly, the world isn’t perfect, and Bonds is a reflection of that.

No one has proven ANYTHING about Bonds, and, even if they did, I would guess nearly 75 percent of big leaguers have dabbled with illegal, performance-enhancing drugs at one time or another.

They just aren’t as good as Bonds.

They don’t have the same baseball sense. They don’t understand the game the way Bonds does. In many ways, he is the game. Plus, can anyone tell me that Hank Aaron didn’t take steroids? No way.

Third, I want him to break the record to see Commissioner Bud Selig’s face.

Selig needs Bonds. He needs the controversy to keep the spotlight on baseball. Do you really think Selig was upset by the “tainted” race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa? Get real. He was even happier when Bonds chased that record down and broke it. Selig could give a flying expletive about purity, he is in the business of selling tickets and getting TV contracts.

And Bonds sells.

So, for all the mammoth home runs, fantastic audio clips for the media or record-breaking number of walks, baseball owes Bonds. He has put in his time and taken his lumps.

Baseball is not about morals. That’s for parents. And for those parents that simply hide behind blaming society for their child’s problems aren’t looking at themselves in the mirror hard enough. A baseball player taking steroids isn’t the problem, it’s the lack of discussion you have with your child about it that could lead to a clouded future.

Baseball is entertainment. It’s that simple. It’s a product. It’s something we need to take at face value. Without it, society would function. Admittedly, it would be lame, but it would function.

But, since baseball is alive and well, enjoy the numerous ESPN break-ins for his every at-bat, and realize Bonds is a guy that eats, sleeps and goes to the bathroom like the rest of us. We just chose to put him on a pedestal because we like to be entertained.

And, no one could argue that Barry Bonds isn’t entertaining.