This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Only about four in 10 baseball fans are rooting for Barry Bonds to break the career home run record and most think he knowingly took steroids, according to a poll showing stark racial divisions in how the San Francisco Giants' slugger is viewed.
Still, most fans think Bonds should end up in the Hall of Fame. He has 10 homers this season and 744 lifetime - 11 shy of Hank Aaron's record, one of the most revered in sports.
In the poll by ABC News and ESPN, 37 percent said they are rooting for Bonds to break Aaron's record, while 52 percent said they hope he falls short and 11 percent had no opinion. Twenty-eight percent of whites and nearly 75 percent of blacks said they were hoping Bonds succeeds.
Nearly three quarters said they think Bonds knowingly took the performance-enhancing drugs, which he has long denied. Just more than a third of blacks - and three-fourths of whites - shared that view.
Of those who think he used steroids, two-thirds said that makes him a cheater - even though major league baseball was not testing for the drugs at the time. There was no racial breakdown for that question.
Yanked!
Still buzzing about landing Roger Clemens, the New York Yankees shipped struggling pitcher Kei Igawa to the minors on Monday and had a key reliever and their manager suspended on a busy afternoon in the Bronx.
Right-hander Scott Proctor was suspended four games and Joe Torre was penalized one game by the commissioner's office, a day after a skirmish between the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.
The Yankees also said they want oft-injured pitcher Carl Pavano to see another renowned doctor before determining if he needs season-ending elbow surgery.
Torre missed Monday night's game against the Mariners. Bench coach Don Mattingly managed the Yankees in his absence.
The problems started Sunday after Josh Phelps went out of his way to barrel into Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima while scoring the game's first run. When Phelps came up to bat again, Jarrod Washburn hit him in the back with the first pitch. At that point, the umpires warned both dugouts for the second time in three days.
Proctor threw inside to Yuniesky Betancourt in the seventh. Betancourt pointed his bat toward the mound, catcher Wil Nieves grabbed him, and the benches and bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but Proctor and Torre were ejected.
Proctor, used heavily all season, joked that the suspension would give him a welcome rest.
''They can wear me out pretty good before that,'' he said.
As for Igawa, the Yankees optioned him to Class A Tampa to make room on the roster for right-hander Matt DeSalvo, who started Monday night in his major league debut.
The move kept right-hander Darrell Rasner in the big leagues after he pitched 5 2-3 shutout innings Sunday in a victory over Seattle. New York had planned to send Rasner right back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after his start, but changed course.
Mariner in remorse
Seattle Mariners reliever Julio Mateo apologized Monday for his arrest following a dispute with his wife at a Manhattan hotel.
Mateo was suspended for 10 days without pay Sunday, a penalty the players' association may challenge this week. The 6-foot, 220-pound pitcher was arrested the day before on a charge of third-degree assault. He posted bond and was released. Police said his wife needed five stitches to her mouth.
Mateo apologized in a statement released by the team during its game Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
''I am personally embarrassed by the incident on Saturday morning, which resulted in my arrest and absence from my team. I recognize that I have also embarrassed my wife and family, my teammates and the entire Mariners organization in front of our fans. Without getting into detail, I understand that my behavior was inappropriate. I am very sorry for this, and want to apologize to all of them,'' he said.
Suspension handed down
Tampa Bay relief pitcher Juan Salas was suspended for 50 games Monday after becoming the first player this year to flunk a drug test under Major League Baseball's testing program.
Salas tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the commissioner's office said. His suspension will start today.
Salas will lose about one-third of his $382,000 salary.