Hank Aaron says he still considers himself the home-run king

MEQUON, Wis. - Henry Aaron may no longer hold the official record for most home runs, but that doesn't seem to matter to him.

``I still consider myself the home-run king,'' he said with a laugh at a news conference before giving the commencement address Saturday at Concordia University.

The 74-year-old also received an honorary law degree.

Barry Bonds hit 28 homers last year to raise his total to 762, seven more than Aaron's previous record.

``But seriously, I think Bonds has done wonderfully,'' Aaron said, as quoted in the column of sports writer Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ``I think he had a marvelous career. I had it for a long time. Seven-fifty-five was there for a long time.''

Bonds was originally indicted in November by a federal grand jury on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. But this month federal prosecutors handed up a superseding indictment charging him with 14 counts of making false declarations to a grand jury in 2003 and one count of obstruction of justice. No new lies were alleged.

The case against Bonds is built on whether he lied when he told the grand jury that his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, never supplied him with steroids and human growth hormone.

``It just so happened that the person who broke it, there was a lot of controversy behind,'' Aaron said. ``But I don't mind. It doesn't bother me. I've enjoyed it tremendously and wish him well.''

But Aaron, a native of Mobile, Ala., said the situation is troubling.

``I'm sure Barry feels the same way,'' he said. ``I'm sure he wants to get it over and done with one way or the other. I played a long time with his father. I never played with Barry, but I can tell you this: He is a tremendous ballplayer. There aren't many people who can change the game of baseball the way you can football or basketball, but he can change the way people think about how to approach him.

``I just hope it's over for him soon so he can get on wit his life.''
Aaron later talked about choices to the Concordia graduates.

``This is advice from an old man who has been a lot of places, seen a lot of things,'' Aaron said.

``Be careful before you make choices. Avoid shortcuts. They are quick fixes and unrewarding.''