So Hank Aaron plans to be a no-show when Barry Bonds breaks the most sacred record in all of baseball.

So what?

At the beginning of the season, Aaron said in an interview that he plans to be nowhere close to the game of baseball when Bonds hits No. 756.

He said he'd probably be on a golf course or vacationing in Europe with his wife.

This angered some people who felt that having Aaron present would be a night for baseball to honor its past and celebrate the present.

Too bad.

Aaron has made his mind up, and I don't blame him for his decision.

Only Aaron's closest friends and family know why he is taking such a stance, but I have a pretty good guess.

The circumstances surrounding Bonds' chase of Aaron and what Aaron endured when he was chasing Babe Ruth are completely different.

A 1995 documentary, "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream," details Aaron's life from an adolescent to his final years as a major leaguer.

The following information was taken from that film.

In his pursuit of Ruth's record of 714 home runs, Aaron and his family received death threats and were harassed on a regular basis.

Near the end of his chase, Aaron was getting 3,000 letters per day, most of them from angry fans who didn't want to see a black player's name above Ruth's in the record books.

One note warned, "Hank Aaron, Retire or Die," while another read, "I hope you drop dead."

Aaron's son, Hank Jr., was playing high school football when a player from an opposing team told him, "I hope your daddy dies."

His parents received a phone call during which the caller said, "I'm going to kill that black son of yours."

In the final months of the ordeal, Aaron needed a police escort.

Many fans believe it would be a travesty if commissioner Bud Selig didn't attend the game in which Bonds breaks Aaron's mark.

But where was then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn when Aaron passed Ruth on April 8, 1974 in Atlanta?

He was no where near Fulton County Stadium, that's for sure.

Aaron was known as a quiet and unassuming player when he broke into the major leagues in the mid-1950s.

But if anyone had to endure what he did — death threats, his family being harassed, racist remarks and being snubbed by baseball's commissioner during one of the sport's greatest moments, I believe that person would be bitter for years to come, even if he doesn't show it on a regular basis.

And now Aaron is supposed to put on a suit and tie and a big smile and watch Bonds reach a milestone he wouldn't even be close to had it not been for his steroid use?

I don't think so.

Just remember that what Hank Aaron went through in the 1970s was due to racism, bigotry and people who had the nerve to call themselves "baseball purists."

Bonds has certainly gotten a lot of negative attention as well from the media and fans.

But he's brought it on himself. Don't feel bad for him.