Why is Bonds still allowed to get after the record?

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

It's not so much about steroid use as it is about records. Baseball has long been about numbers. Everyone knows 56 game hit streak, 755 homeruns, 511 wins, 4,1256 hits, etc.

You may know that Emmitt Smith is the all-time leading rusher, or Jerry Rice has the most receptions all time but off the top of your head do you know the numbers? That's what separates baseball. People make a big deal not because of the steroids so much as numbers that mean something to them suddenly are irrelevant

What made these numbers so important? Was it something like a family heirloom that was passed down from generation to generation or is it something else. I do not know baseball so I didn't know the numbers until you just rattled them off. Ironically I do not know the numbers for football either.