The view from beyond 24 Willie Mays Plaza

When he was 15, a young baseball player threw his glove into the air to celebrate a high school championship. This display of emotion brought disgrace to him and his family. "From that day forward," he says, "I never again showed my feelings in public."

Fifty-one years later the public shows its feelings for Sadaharu Oh everywhere he goes, crowds falling silent whenever he appears. He is baseball's true home run champ, revered as "the Babe Ruth of Japan." In his 22 seasons with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants Oh hit 868 dingers, or 111 more than Bonds's current 757. He was also a five-time batting champion, an 18-time All-Star, won 11 championships, and was named the Central League's MVP nine times.

Successful as a manager as well, with three pennants and two Japan Series titles, he currently manages the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

God bless him, Barry Bonds has a long way to go before he will be known as "the Sadaharu Oh of America."

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Your reputation as the Michael Jordan of St. John's Hoops is secure, but for how long? Please let me know if you will or will not be playing Saturday. We tip off at 8:00 a.m., as usual.