Records are made to be broken, but there are some records that will never erase greatness.

Emmitt Smith is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history. He is a sure Hall of Fame selection. He is one of the greatest running backs ever.

But he’s not Jim Brown, the man whose rushing record has been surpassed seven times yet was still named the greatest NFL player.

Nor can quarterbacks like Dan Marino and Joe Montana escape comparisons to Johnny Unitas or Otto Graham.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone are 1-2 on the NBA all-time scoring list, but they have to fight for votes when it comes to ranking the best centers. The debate usually becomes a two-way battle between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

Such as it is with the pursuit of the greatest record in all sports, the all-time home run leader.

Hank Aaron, the classy, soft-spoken all-time leader with 755, never has been able to shake the legend of the man he passed, Babe Ruth.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds will soon discover what Aaron and others have experienced if he hasn’t already. You can pass Ruth in numbers, but you can never knock him from the top of the mountain.

Bonds has faced another cloud during his pursuit of the record, namely his alleged use of steroids.

While Bonds is one of the greatest players the game has seen, no one knows how many times he has been able to turn a 285-foot fly ball into a 385-foot home run.

While Bonds has filled his body with bulk, muscle and quick recovery from injuries through steroids — allegedly — Ruth was hitting home runs out of bigger ballparks thanks to his “drugs” of choice — beer and hot dogs.

The whole debate of who the true home run king really is could have been avoided if the Boston Red Sox had been smart enough to make him an outfielder earlier in his career.

But then what do you expect? They were the guys who sold him to the Yankees to bankroll a Broadway play.

Ruth was a pitcher during his first five-plus seasons. In the Red Sox defense, Ruth was a good pitcher. He won 89 games and lost just 46 with the Sox including two 20-game seasons of 24 and 23 wins.

The all-time leader with 15 World Series home runs,

Ruth once had the record of consecutive scoreless innings (19) until New York’s Whitey Ford broke the mark in 1961.

Ruth hit 20 home runs from 1915-18 before hitting 29 in 1919, his last full season with a regular spot in the rotation. If Ruth had averaged 20 home runs during that span, he would probably have 800 home runs and everyone would still be chasing him.

Bonds will have a place in history even though his records will always be questioned.

Babe Ruth, Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Johnny Unitas. Their records are not etched in stone, but their place in history is.

Just ask the record holders.

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.