Bonds believes hes a Hall of Famer but is apathetic about it

Barry Bonds did an interview this week from MLB.com, and while it wasn't all that hard-hitting, it didn't avoid the issue, either.

No, Barry Bloom didn't ask him if he believes he cheated. He did ask him some open-ended questions that would have allowed Bonds to talk about the controversy, but Bonds didn't take that bait. Bloom did ask him about the Hall of Fame, and whether Bonds thought he belonged.

"I respect the Hall of Fame, don't get me wrong. I really, really, really respect the Hall of Fame. And I think we all do. I love the city of San Francisco and to me that's my Hall of Fame. I don't worry about it because I don't want to be negative about the way other people think it should be run. ... If [the voters] want to put me in there, so be it, fine. If they don't, so be it, fine."

So, unlike Pete Rose, he doesn't really care about making the Hall of Fame. He does think he belongs there, of course.

"Oh, without a doubt. There's not a doubt in my mind," he said.

Bloom hits on other topics -- Bonds would like to be some kind of coach, but not a full-time one, and he wishes he could have played one more season.

One thing that is a little surprising: ESPN.com's SportsNation gets a lot of reaction, so their polls tend to be fairly scientific. And 45 percent of the voters (as of Aug. 8) believe Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. That's a lot higher percentage than Bonds will get from baseball writers in their official ballots this winter.

What do you think? Should Barry Bonds be in the Hall of Fame?