Major League Baseball is in a self-congratulatory mode these days.

Record-setting attendance. September interest stirred by the wild card, commissioner Bud Selig's baby. Labor and management quietly working toward a new agreement with no visible signs of rancor.

It's time for the anvil to drop from the sky and land on Selig's head.

Barry Bonds is back in the limelight, bringing the steroid issue with him.

Selig's fondest wish has been that Bonds would disappear. Have a poor season. Get no offers as a free agent. Go away, leaving Henry Aaron's home run record intact and lessening the clamor to uncover how prevalent performance-enhancing substances have been in the game.

Until about one month ago, Selig seemed home free. Bonds, at age 42, was broken down and lacked power.

It was a cruel hoax.

Bonds has started hitting homers again – nine in his last 90 at-bats. Bonds' legs, the key to his swing, feel better than at any time in the last two years.

Early in the season, Bonds had an all-arms swing that generated little power. He had to guess at pitches and would look bad when wrong.

Strong legs give Bonds a better base and allow him to wait longer, giving him a better chance to recognize pitches.

"Right now, he is enjoying the fact he's got a good pair of legs to swing with," San Francisco manager Felipe Alou told reporters.

The bravado is returning to Bonds, too. During a recent game in Chicago, Bonds teased teammate Shea Hillenbrand for chasing bad pitches by saying "don't you know you've got the best hitter in the game batting behind you?"

All of this means that Bonds will probably return to the Giants next season, putting Aaron's record in jeopardy. It is Selig's worst nightmare. Bonds has 23 homers for the season and 731 lifetime, 24 fewer than Aaron. The Giants now have every reason to bring back Bonds.

San Francisco ownership built its gem of a downtown ballpark without public funds. The debt service is high, putting the Giants in the position of needing a superstar to put customers in the seats.

Bonds has been the gate-attraction for 14 seasons. He is booed on the road, but the locals embrace him with a religious fervor.

The Giants will draw more than 3 million for the seventh consecutive season. With Bonds in hot pursuit of Aaron, San Francisco could expect to draw about 3.3 million next season. That is a huge revenue stream for a team with little margin for financial error.

There is nothing Selig can do to stop it. The investigation headed by George Mitchell is window-dressing. Selig conceded he can't wipe out statistics. The San Francisco Chronicle reporters who uncovered allegations of tax evasion, perjury and steroid use by Bonds are more likely to go to jail than he is.

If Bonds approaches 755, he will be the face of baseball. It will be just desserts for everyone in the game who looked the other way when the steroid era raged.

Gerry Fraley writes about pro baseball for The Dallas Morning News.

In the best interest of the game

The recent passing of legendary Boston scout Broadway Charlie Wagner, tagged with the nickname by Ted Williams because he was a sharp dresser, should serve as a catalyst for baseball to correct a long-standing injustice.

Scouts belong in the Hall of Fame.

The Hall includes owners, general managers, managers, players, writers and broadcasters, but no scouts. That is an inexplicable omission.

Should the Hall fix this, there are numerous candidates for inclusion. A good way to start would be by recognizing Wagner, who spent 61 years with the Red Sox, and Hugh "Red" Alexander, of Seminole, Okla.

Mauer, Morneau share marquee in Minnesota's revival

How has Minnesota climbed out of the deep hole of a 25-33 start to get into playoff contention?

Having the American League's best bullpen helped.

So did having two legitimate contenders for the AL's Most Valuable Player Award.

Catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau have forced their way into MVP consideration. New York shortstop Derek Jeter is the glamour candidate, and Chicago outfielder Jermaine Dye will also receive strong consideration.

It is not unusual for teammates to finish among the top five in MVP voting. Boston's tandem of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz did that in 2004. Also, teammates do not always hurt each other's candidacy. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki won the AL MVP in 2001, with teammate Bret Boone finishing third. A year earlier, San Francisco's odd couple of Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds finished 1-2 in the National League race.

Mauer is the better known of the Twins' candidates. One national publication recently splashed him across its cover and suggested he could become the best catcher ever.

That could happen. Mauer is an excellent defensive catcher, and he began Saturday's play leading the AL in batting average, average with runners in scoring position and average with runners in scoring position and two outs.

As impressive as those accomplishments are, Morneau has meant more to the Twins' rise.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen called the Twins a bunch of "piranhas" for the way they gnaw away at an opponent through small-ball. The Twins have played that way for years.

Morneau, a product of Minnesota's active scouting operation in Canada, is the difference-maker. He has been the power source the Twins have lacked for a generation.

Morneau is the first Twin with 30 homers since 1987. With him in the middle, the Twins do not have to strain for each run. If he finishes in the 40-homer, 130-RBI range with a club that makes the playoffs, his candidacy soars.

Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have made names for themselves during the Twins' push for the playoffs. The offensive production, entering Saturday's play, of the top MVP candidates in the AL: