I imagine that any sports fans out there have already heard ad nauseum the latest controversy that has drawn much of the attention in the baseball world to, yet again, Barry Bonds. If you've been hunkered down in a bio-dome or unconscious for the past day, the news regards a forthcoming Sports Illustrated cover story on a book by two San Francisco reporters on the Giants' slugger, including excerpts, and his alleged use of an array of performance-enhancing substances.

It's not a subject that hasn't been scrutinized before, but, based on the excerpts and reports, Game Of Shadows might be the most comprehensive and detailed investigation of Bonds, yet, and the reporters/authors, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, have corroborated their work from a wide variety of sources.

Creams, pills, injections with everything from human growth hormone (HGH) to substances used to strengthen the bones of cattle are noted amongst the laundry list of items which Bonds allegedly took to give him a competitive edge. Also included are substances that only recently were technically listed as banned by baseball.

The catalyst reported for Bonds use of performance enhancers is something to which all of us can relate - jealousy. Apparently Bonds felt slighted by the attention paid to Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa (two other players whose feats also deserve skepticism) during the media frenzy of their chase for the single-season home run record in the summer of 1998. If that is the case, and so much of this story is clearly as enigmatic as Bonds himself, it's even more sad.

See, for fans of the game, there was no question of Bonds stature in baseball or doubt that he was one of the most gifted players of not only his era but of all-time. And it wasn't enough. It's like the sniping that existed between Paul McCartney and John Lennon following the break-up of The Beatles. Maybe it's a tragic commentary on human nature and a reminder that even those who exist in such rarefied air are subject to the ugliest and most petty traits to which we all are prone.

Is Bonds guilty? Who knows? It's difficult to imagine that there will ever be any kind of satisfactory or incontrovertible way to summarize his career. What is certain is that steroids and injections were not the things that drew us fans to the game as kids and not what true fans want to be discussing now. But, it's what will be discussed.

Personally, I remember Bonds as a young superstar with my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and marveling at his amazing accomplishments and seemingly limitless potential. His leaving Pittsburgh coincided with both a downturn in the team's fortunes and the waning of my own interest in baseball thanks to, among many factors, the inability of most franchises to be competitive. These latest allegations are likely to do little but alienate me, and many fans I imagine, distancing me further from the game that I so enjoyed during the carefree, summer days of my youth.

Maybe that's what I'm really mourning.