Sports Statistics

Nobody is sorrier to see the end of Del Mar than Victor Espinoza. The jockey, who long ago wrapped up the riding title, won all three stakes races on the penultimate day of the meet Monday, but there was much more to his afternoon. He won seven races in all, something no other rider had ever done at the seaside track. Besides breaking one record, Espinoza, 34, matched another.

Barry Bonds hit his 725th home run on Monday against Arizona. He needs 30 more to tie Henry Aaron's record of 755. ALL-TIME LIST *--* Aaron Bonds Age 42 42 Home Runs 755 725 Games 3,298 2,831 At-Bats 12,364 9,414 Hits 3,771 2,807 Runs 2,174 2,130 RBIs 2,297 1,905 Total Bases 6,856 5,716 *--* Hank Aaron...755 *Barry Bonds...725 Babe Ruth...714 Willie Mays...660 Sammy Sosa...588 Frank Robinson...586 Mark McGwire...583 Harmon Killebrew...573 Rafael Palmeiro...569 Reggie Jackson...

A federal judge Tuesday ruled that Major League Baseball and its players' union can't force the operator of a St. Louis-based fantasy sports league to pay licensing fees for baseball statistics used in its business. U.S. Magistrate Mary Ann L. Medler, in a 49-page decision, said that C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing Inc. didn't need a license to operate its fantasy baseball business because MLB players are public figures and statistics from big-league games are in the public domain.

All-time franchise pitching victory leaders *-active with team: NATIONAL LEAGUE *--* Dodgers Don Sutton 233 Arizona Randy Johnson 103 Atlanta Warren Spahn 356 Chicago Charley Root 201 Cincinnati Eppa Rixey 179 Colorado Jason Jennings* 55 Florida Dontrelle Willis* 52 Houston Joe Niekro 144 Milwaukee Jim Slaton 117 New York Tom Seaver 198 Philadelphia Steve Carlton 241 Pittsburgh Wilbur Cooper 202 St.

With Barry Bonds, the sports world's most famous suspected substance abuser, tied with Babe Ruth in career home runs, only 41 shy of Hank Aaron's all-time record, many observers are fretting that baseball's ledgers have been permanently compromised. But those who study the numbers most closely aren't so sure.

Beyond the threatening and racist hate mail that formed a disturbing backdrop to the culmination of Henry Aaron's assault on Babe Ruth's career record for home runs, there were controversial issues then between commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Aaron and the Atlanta Braves, just as controversy now engulfs Commissioner Bud Selig and Barry Bonds.

Barry Bonds said Monday his chase of Babe Ruth, such as it is, has been an overwhelming experience. Sitting in the dugout before extending his homer-less streak to 31 plate appearances, Bonds spoke at some length for the first time in nearly a week, expressing regret for failing to tie or pass Ruth in San Francisco and admitting to great fatigue. "This thing, it's like chasing two ghosts, you know?," he said. "I can imagine what Roger Maris went through....

Barry Bonds homered for the first time this season, hitting No. 709 of his career to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-4, Saturday night. Bonds sliced a belt-high fastball from right-hander Aaron Cook (1-3) to left field, moving within five home runs of Babe Ruth for the most by a left-handed hitter. It came in Bonds' 31st at-bat and 14th game this year. For Bonds, it was one of his longest droughts to start a season. In 1998, he didn't homer until his 13th game.