There’s something about Barry

John Emme laughed a bit nervously when he was asked his opinion of Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants’ slugger who is two home runs from breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time record.

Emme, the Corona del Mar High baseball coach, labels himself as a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan, so naturally he was hesitant talking about Bonds, who restarts his quest to break the record today at Dodgers Stadium of all places.

Wouldn’t Bonds love to become Major League Baseball’s top home-run hitter in the rivals’ house?

“I think he would enjoy that a great deal,” Emme said. “He would be the only one.”

Emme wasn’t the only local coach willing to speak about Bonds. Newport Harbor’s Evan Chalmers and Costa Mesa’s Jim Keifer also gave their takes.

UC Irvine Coach Dave Serrano, Baseball America’s Coach of the Year who guided the Anteaters to their first College World Series berth, declined to comment about Bonds. There are coaching openings at Estancia and Sage Hill School.

Emme didn’t just express his loyalty to his Dodgers. He also provided what he thought of the controversial star, who’s on the verge of producing what many call the biggest sports story of this generation. That’s mainly because Bonds is seen as a villain because the majority believe he has used steroids, though it has not been proven.

“It would be an amazing accomplishment, there’s no doubt about that,” Emme said of Bonds’ feat. “It would be tainted in many people eyes because of the whole steroid thing … [But] Barry Bonds is probably the greatest hitter we’ve seen in a long, long time.”

Emme said it’s unfair that the media and society tend to single out Bonds.

“During that era it was glaringly obvious that there were a lot of guys taking steroids,” Emme said. “It seems that Barry is the poster boy because he’s going for the home run record.”

Each coach gave their say on whether they believe Bonds has taken steroids or not.

“I have no personal knowledge of him taking steroids,” Emme said. “But the evidence looks pretty damning for him.”

Said Keifer: “I don’t know. I guess time will tell.

“I think everyone’s worthy of due process, and he’ll get his time to explain himself. He’s obviously focused on baseball right now, and when that comes to an end we’ll get more answers.”

Chalmers didn’t hold back.

“I think that he has used steroids,” he said. “I don’t know how often. He certainly has grown over time. But I really believe that being able to hit that baseball that effectively goes far beyond any drug. There’s certainly a lot of controversy. [Hitting a home run] is an exceptional skill. That makes it more impressive in my opinion.”

Chalmers stressed that he does not condone steroids, but still made it a point that he marvels at Bonds’ athleticism and his ability to hit home runs.

“I think it’s going to be a tremendous feat,” Chalmers said. “There are a lot of different opinions on the steroid thing. I still think it’s an amazing feat. This guy is something else. I think he’s a tremendous athlete.

“Him as a person can kind of be deflating to the fans. His relationship with the fans has been marred because of what he has said.”

When Bonds breaks the record, Chalmers doesn’t think there should be an asterisk next to the achievement.

“It’s going be too hard to piece it all together,” Chalmers said. “Baseball’s image has been hurt by the whole steroid thing, but I still think the home run record still holds a lot of integrity.”

Keifer said he’s had an interest in the record since following the game for over 30 years.

“It’s one of the most glamorous records in all of sports,” he said. “However, I do think it’s somewhat tarnished by Barry Bonds’ actions over the past few years, but it’s still of recognition.

“Despite what people’s opinions of him are, he still accomplished a lot in the game. Time will tell in the future how people perceive those accomplishments. “The record, people aren’t going to look at it the same way as 35 years ago when Aaron broke the record. It’s a different time and a different record.”

Emme, Chalmers and Keifer each said they tell their players the dangers of steroids and other substances.

— Soraya Nadia McDonald contributed to this story

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at steve.virgen@latimes.com.