Credibility and trust is the key to the relationship between athletes and fans. We go to the games and root for teams and our favorite athletes because we, as fans, have a faith and trust that what we are seeing is on the up and up.

The steroid scandal in baseball, which has just broken wide open with Jason Giambi?s admission of his regular steroid use, is a tremendous blow to this relationship. We now have confirmation that the unbelievable home run performances of the last decade, which have made baseball more popular than ever, are heavily tainted by the use of illegal "performance enhancing" drugs.

There has been strong suspicion for a long time that many of the sluggers, from Barry Bonds on down, who have set home run standards that were unthinkable just 10 years ago, have relied on these drugs. Now we know it.

Bonds himself seems to be admitting that he did take these steroids, he just didn?t know what they were. It?s hard to believe that Bonds, who is so careful about controlling all that he does relating to his career, would take "medication" casually without knowing what he was doing.

Bonds holds the most famous single season record in professional sports -- 73 home runs in 2001, and is fast approaching the most significant career record in professional sports -- Henry Aaron?s 755 home runs. These records are now under a cloud of suspicion because they might have been achieved with the aid of powerful illegal drugs.

The norm in our society is that one is innocent until proven guilty. With the revelations of the past few days and Bonds name being so prominently featured in them, that burden has now switched completely. He can only be looked on as guilty of using these drugs to help achieve these records unless he can show otherwise.

In addition, it is not just Bonds. The home run records of the past 10 years can never be looked at with the admiration that was given to Ruth?s achievements, or the quieter respect that grew over time for Roger Maris and Aaron.

These recent performances will always be suspect. When Bonds hits number 756, it will be very difficult to cheer at all. It will be interesting to see how baseball acknowledges that record when it comes.