Even though he hasn’t hit a baseball for more than nine months, Barry Bonds can still stir up some controversy.

The baseball with which Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run finally arrived at Cooperstown Tuesday where it is expected to be put on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame within a few weeks.

The donator of the ball, fashion designer Marc Ecko, purchased it at auction last fall for $752,467. Before bequeathing it to the HOF, Ecko had an asterisk dye-cut into the cowhide to denote the murky legitimacy of Bonds’ achievement.

So the question is, should the ball be displayed with or without the asterisk?

Initially, my reaction was definitely not. There is no room for asterisks in baseball.

Roger Maris should have never had one (even though it was in name only) after hitting his 61st home run to break Babe Ruth’s record. Nor should Bonds have one for breaking Hank Aaron’s record and setting the career home runs mark.

I’m not trying to be a Barry Bonds defender here. Most serious baseball fans, including myself, believe Bonds took performance enhancing drugs during his active playing days.

But Bonds has been convicted of nothing (unless you count the court of public opinion). Major League Baseball could have addressed the steroids issue a lot sooner — perhaps rendering this discussion moot — but chose not to. Instead, it opted to reap the benefits of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run duel in 1998 and then Bonds’ subsequent home run chase up through last season.

And even if it is eventually proved that Bonds did indeed take performance enhancing drugs, there is no way to determine how many home runs he would or would not have hit if he had stayed drug free. Like it or not, the record is his.

It’s my opinion the displayed ball should show the asterisk. Not because I believe Bonds’ record is tainted, but because it will serve to educate future fans about baseball’s “Steroid Era.”

Without an asterisk, it’s possible a young fan 30 or 40 or 50 years from now could walk by the Bonds’ display case in the Hall of Fame and never learn anything of the controversy surrounding his achievement. With an asterisk, he or she will be prompted to ask “what’s that for?” and the learning process can begin.

The Hall of Fame has not shied away from showing the darker side of baseball. Visitors can learn about the 1919 Black Sox scandal inside the building and future fans should be able to learn about the Steroids Era as well.

Sorry Barry, but I have to vote for displaying the ball asterisk and all.

Jim Rueda is the Free Press sports editor. To contact him, call 344-6381 or e-mail him at jrueda@mankatofreepress.com