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Bonds 'deserves' home run record, Mays says

Giants star's godfather also says he doesn't care about steroid suspicions

Mays, Bonds
Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images file
Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Barry Bonds enter the field for a pregame ceremony honoring former Giants All-Stars and current Hall of Famers on April 4.
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msnbc.com news services
updated 12:32 a.m. ET Aug. 8, 2007

Hall of Famer Willie Mays says he doesn't care what people say about his godson, Barry Bonds, as he passed Henry Aaron as the all-time leader in home runs, The New York Times reported.

“I’m a fan of his. When you’re a fan of his, it doesn’t matter what other people think or how they react. If you’re a fan of his, you don’t worry about the other stuff," Mays told the newspaper in reference to the heaps of criticism Bonds has received in recent years over suspicions that he has taken steroids to boost his power production.

Bonds broke Aaron's mark with his 756th career homer Tuesday night.

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“I think he deserves it,” Mays told the Times before Monday's game, in which Bonds failed to hit the historic home run against the Washington Nationals. “It’s his time. I think that every generation has someone like him. When I played, it was me and Aaron. Now it’s his time.”

Mays finished with 660 home runs during his career and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player ever. He and Aaron were on 19 National League All-Star teams together.

When Bonds sets the record, Mays said “I’m going to give him a big hug. I know I’m going to do that. Being an emotional guy like I am, I’ll probably cry, too. It’s a great milestone.”

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