Bonds rallies to become All-Star; now the fallout can begin

A late surge in All-Star voting spared National League Manager Tony La Russa and Major League Baseball a thorny dilemma.

With the equivalent of two strikes and two outs against him, Barry Bonds earned the third NL outfield spot in fan balloting for the July 10 All-Star game at AT&T; Park in San Francisco. He inspired enough fascination or pick-him-so-we-can-boo-him revulsion to erase a deficit of nearly 120,000 in the last few days of fan voting -- but he wasn’t in the top five in the players’ vote, a telling note.

If not for the late rally that allowed him to overtake the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano in the fan balloting and finish with 2,325,391 votes, Bonds’ All-Star fate would have been determined by a last-minute fan vote, La Russa, or baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, with all the hand wringing that would have caused.

Bonds finished third in the fans’ outfield voting behind Ken Griffey Jr.’s league-leading 2,986,818 and the Mets’ Carlos Beltran at 2,511,391. Soriano got 2,202,513 votes but was selected to the team through player balloting.

And so, everyone will get what they deserve.

In every sense.

Fans in San Francisco, mobilized to stuff the ballot box after the Giants launched a public relations campaign, will get to bestow some love on Bonds, who is five home runs from tying Hank Aaron’s record of 755.

Bonds will get to share the spotlight with his godfather, Giants legend Willie Mays, the guest of honor in a pregame tribute. But he will also get more questions about his alleged involvement in the BALCO steroid scandal, which has oozed from baseball to track and field and beyond while investigators continue to explore its scope.

Even in what should be its finest moments, baseball can’t avoid the fallout of its old, don’t-ask-don’t-tell implicit tolerance of performance-enhancing substances, an attitude that is only now vanishing after Congress pressured Selig and the players’ association to adopt vigorous testing and sanctions with teeth.

In the eyes of most fans outside San Francisco, Bonds is tainted goods. No one has forgotten the grand jury testimony leaked by an attorney to a pair of San Francisco Chronicle reporters, in which Bonds said he had received and used clear and cream substances given to him by his trainer, Greg Anderson, though he said he didn’t know they were steroids. He’s still under investigation for perjury.

Purely on numbers alone, it’s not difficult to justify Bonds’ spot on the NL All-Star team. He’s batting .304 with 16 home runs and 40 runs batted in and he leads the league with a .516 on-base percentage and 84 walks. His .603 slugging percentage is second to that of Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder.

“He’s having a good year,” said Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny, one of eight pitchers named to the NL team Sunday based on player balloting.

“Considering the amount of times he walks, you take a lot of numbers away from that guy. So absolutely, he deserves to play. He’s one of the best power hitters of all time.

“I mean, he is the best power hitter of all time, or he will be soon. Yes, he deserves to go.”

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, voted one of the NL starters, said Bonds has “done some great things baseball-wise. He’s a great player. He’s going to break the record. He definitely deserves to be there.”

As for Bonds’ baggage, Martin reserved judgment.

“Innocent till proven guilty,” Martin said. “So you can’t say anything bad about that. There’s nothing proven. He’s still the man.”

If Bonds will be the man of the hour next week, so will Selig. Whether Bonds passes Aaron before or after the All-Star game, Selig will be second-guessed for his handling of the occasion and his assessment of Bonds’ legacy.

Aaron has repeatedly said he won’t shake Bonds’ hand, but he hasn’t elaborated. Aaron told reporters last month that “I don’t have any thoughts about Barry. I don’t even know how to spell his name,” an ambiguous response that made him appear churlish.

Selig hasn’t divulged his plans, but he will surely be pressed for a commitment during the All-Star festivities. His response will be seen as a reflection of whether he believes Bonds should be applauded for his exploits or condemned for his alleged attempts at better hitting through chemistry.

It’s not easy being Bud Selig, who has shown the sensitivity of a tractor-trailer on a rain-slicked highway. Selig will be remembered as the man who canceled the 1994 World Series and promoted interleague play, which blurred the distinctions between the leagues and ruined the unique appeal of the World Series and All-Star game.

He will also be remembered for what he does when Bonds passes Aaron, as former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn is remembered for not being present when Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record.

In the meantime, Bonds said he will bask in hometown glory at the All-Star game.

“You can’t say enough about being at home. It’s great,” he told reporters Sunday. “ ... This is the one I’ll remember forever.”

For better, or for worse.

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Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

AL fan favorites

American League starters for the All-Star game on July 10 at AT&T; Park in San Francisco:

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit

First base: David Ortiz, Boston

Second base: Placido Polanco, Detroit

Third base: Alex Rodriguez, New York

Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York

Outfield: Vladimir Guerrero, Angels

Outfield: Magglio Ordonez, Detroit

Outfield: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle

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NL fan favorites

National League starters for the All-Star game on July 10 at AT&T; Park in San Francisco:

Catcher: Russell Martin, Dodgers

First base: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee

Second base: Chase Utley, Philadelphia

Third base: David Wright, New York

Shortstop: Jose Reyes, New York

Outfield: Carlos Beltran, New York

Outfield: Ken Griffey Jr., Cincinnati

Outfield: Barry Bonds, San Francisco

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All-Star reserves and pitchers

AMERICAN LEAGUE

CATCHERS

* Victor Martinez, Cleveland; Jorge Posada, New York.

INFIELDERS

* Carlos Guillen, Detroit; Mike Lowell, Boston; Justin Morneau, Minnesota; Brian Roberts, Baltimore; Michael Young, Texas.

OUTFIELDERS

* Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay; Torii Hunter, Minnesota;

Manny Ramirez, Boston; Alex Rios, Toronto; Grady Sizemore, Cleveland.

PITCHERS

* Josh Beckett, Boston; Dan Haren, Oakland; Bobby Jenks, Chicago;

John Lackey, Angels; Gil Meche, Kansas City; Jonathan Papelbon, Boston; J.J. Putz, Seattle; Francisco Rodriguez, Angels; C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland; Johan Santana, Minnesota; Justin Verlander, Detroit.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

CATCHER

* Brian McCann, Atlanta.

INFIELDERS

* Miguel Cabrera, Florida; J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee;

Orlando Hudson, Arizona; Derrek Lee, Chicago; Albert Pujols, St. Louis; Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh; Dmitri Young, Washington.

OUTFIELDERS

* Matt Holliday, Colorado; Carlos Lee, Houston;

Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia; Alfonso Soriano, Chicago.

PITCHERS

* Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee; Brian Fuentes, Colorado; Cole Hamels, Philadelphia; Trevor Hoffman, San Diego; Jake Peavy, San Diego;

Brad Penny, Dodgers; Takashi Saito, Dodgers; Ben Sheets, Milwaukee; John Smoltz, Atlanta; Jose Valverde, Arizona; Billy Wagner, New York.

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Source: Associated Press