Now, more than ever, it is good to root for Barry Bonds to break Mark McGwire's home run record. The same goes for other records that have fallen, and will fall, during this era of offense. Change is good. Sit back and enjoy it, and don't fret for those who have been passed.

When McGwire dusted Babe Ruth and Roger Maris in 1998, it didn't make us forget either guy. Nothing could possibly happen that would make us forget The Babe. He is the most legendary figure in baseball history, if not all team sports. He is the game's greatest all-time player, he has more career shutouts than Pedro Martinez and more home runs than anyone except Hank Aaron. How much better can you get than that? He is the first player to hit 30, 40, 50 and 60 homers in a season. Just because he didn't hit 70 doesn't mean we'll forget him.

McGwire is our Babe Ruth, albeit with a career average nearly 80 points lower and with 130 fewer triples (136-6). No matter how many home runs Bonds hits, McGwire's legacy is secure. No one will ever forget how he (and Sammy Sosa, of course) helped save the game in 1998 with his 70 homers, some of which were hit to places that had never been visited. When he hit No. 62, it set off a marvelous celebration -- not just for McGwire, but for Maris.

History will never overlook Maris. His story is a tremendous one; his chase of Ruth and his relationship with teammate Mickey Mantle will always have legs. Fifty years from now, no matter how many times 60 has been reached, people will appreciate Maris' accomplishment. They'll know he was the guy who, 34 years after Babe hit a magical 60, did that one better.

This is the beauty of baseball: its history is so rich, it is never lost. That is more true in baseball than any other major team sport because baseball is a skill sport more than an athletic sport. Therefore, despite its changes, it has changed less than the other major team sports.

The NFL bears little resemblance today to the game played in the 1940s. Today, some quarterbacks weigh significantly more than the biggest player of 60 years ago. Same with the NBA. Certain point guards today are bigger than certain centers in 1950. Bob Cousy undoubtedly was one of the greatest point guards in history, and unquestionably would be a good player today, but as great as he was, he never shot 40 percent from the field in any season.

True greatness transcends all eras in baseball more than any sport. Things that happened in 1920 are relevant today because the best players of 1920 would be among the best players today, and vice versa. Ruth, who was 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, would be a star today. Walter Johnson, who was 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, would win 20 games a year today. Ted Williams would win batting titles today just as Tony Gwynn would win batting titles in 1940. McGwire would be an incredible home run hitter in 1930 and Randy Johnson would win 20 games in 1920.

There is no need to be angry that today's players can be spoiled, overpaid and petulant. They still deserve tremendous credit for being as good as they are, as strong as they are and skilled as they are. Jeff Bagwell, who is neither spoiled, overpaid or petulant, tells the story of a few years ago when one of his favorite people, Yogi Berra, told him "the ball is juiced."

Bagwell asked Yogi, "How many home runs did you hit?" Yogi said "358." Bagwell, with no malice in his voice, said, "Yogi is this tall (pointing to the level of a 5-foot man). And he's telling us the ball is juiced? We're not allowed to be as good as the players of the past."

The past is filled with extraordinary years and times such as this. In 1930, Hack Wilson, who was 5-foot-6, drove in 190 runs (now 191, apparently). When someone breaks that record, which likely is going to happen, we will get a chance to celebrate Wilson again. That will be good. If Ichiro someday hits in 57 games in a row, that will be good, too. Would that destroy the legend of Joe DiMaggio? Absolutely not. DiMaggio will still have a career .325 average, 361 home runs, only 369 strikeouts, two batting titles and 10 World Series rings.

The important thing is to understand the context. When Norm Cash hit .361 with 132 RBI in 1961 -- and never hit .300 or drove in 100 in any year before or after -- it was an expansion year. Odd things happen in expansion years. We are in an expansion era, so odd things are going to happen more often. Spectacular things, historic events are supposed to happen during times like this. Enjoy them.

Don't be angry that Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green, a really good hitter, has more home runs since the All-Star break -- 28 -- than all but three Dodgers (Tommy Davis once, Frank Howard twice) had in a full season during the 1960s. That was mostly a pitcher's decade; the last eight seasons have not been.

There is nothing odd about what Barry Bonds is doing. If someone is supposed to pass Ruth and Maris in one day, it is Bonds. If someone is supposed to beat McGwire's record, it is Bonds. At this pace, someday he is going to pass his godfather, Willie Mays, into third place on the all-time home run list. Who better to set the single-season home run record than Bonds?

If he does, it will have happened during your lifetime. You will have seen it. Your children will have seen it. They will tell their grandchildren about it. That is a good thing.

Tim Kurkjian is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a regular contributor to Baseball Tonight. E-mail tim.kurkjian@espnmag.com.